Dyeing Clothes

[MissHannah]

I've just been checking on Ebay and Dylon appears to be the only make you can buy in this country. I wonder if it's the same stuff under a different name.

 

[KittyT]

Use RIT, but the LIQUID one, not the powder. The liquid gives better overall coverage, and rinses out faster/cleaner than the powder. I dyed some vintage nylons and some cotton stockings in both, and both took better to the liquid than the powder mixture.

Oh yes, Lady Day is so right! Liquid all the way.

 

[i_am_the_scruff]

I've just been checking on Ebay and Dylon appears to be the only make you can buy in this country. I wonder if it's the same stuff under a different name.

I've been to the USA alot and i'm sure i've seen the Dylan range there with the same name.

 

[MissHannah]

Well, as far as I can tell RIT doesn't seem to be available over here so Dylon will have to be the one!

 

[Fleur De Guerre]

Dylon do hot water dye here - there's one you do on a 40 degree washing cycle as well as the cold water one.

 

[ShrinkingViolet]

I have a somewhat similar question: Do you think it's possible to dye/stain white or beige leather shoes navy or red or other dark colours? Coloured shoe polish wouldn't be enough, would it?

 

[KittyT]

I have a somewhat similar question: Do you think it's possible to dye/stain white or beige leather shoes navy or red or other dark colours? Coloured shoe polish wouldn't be enough, would it?

Not with clothing dye. You will need to take them to a cobbler and they should be able to do it with leather dye.

 

[artful dodgette]

I have a somewhat similar question: Do you think it's possible to dye/stain white or beige leather shoes navy or red or other dark colours? Coloured shoe polish wouldn't be enough, would it?

you can buy a specialist dye for leather and suede, it paints on with a brush, a cobbler will deffinately sell it, in the UK big woolworths sell it...

 

[ShrinkingViolet]

Not with clothing dye. You will need to take them to a cobbler and they should be able to do it with leather dye.

Oh cool! (No, I wasn't going to do it with clothing dye, sorry for being so unspecific :eusa_doh: )
Has anyone actually tried this? Is it possible to get a good result, or will it get all uneven? I suddenly see endless shoe possibilities

 

[Lady Day]

A good professional will tell you an expected outcome once you bring in the shoes. Id say youll really get close to what you want.

LD

 

[dakotanorth]

Dyeing clothes with patterns?

Has anyone tried dyeing a garment that has a printed pattern? I always thought the printed ink would not absorb dye, but I'm not so sure.

 

[Lady Day]

I have. It wont.

If the fabric is dyed and woven in, sure. If its screen printed, then its basically a plastic type of paint and it wont hold the dye.

LD

 

[epr25]

Try this place they have an extensive amount of suede and leather dyes. I have not tried totally changing the color from a light to dark but I have used the suede dye to revamp a pair of shoes that were about the same color. Worked fantastically!

www.wardrobesupplies.com

I have a somewhat similar question: Do you think it's possible to dye/stain white or beige leather shoes navy or red or other dark colours? Coloured shoe polish wouldn't be enough, would it?

 

[fortworthgal]

I know I'm a bit late coming into this thread, but I'm a master at-home dyer, and I've always used, and had good luck with, RIT.

 

[epr25]

I was wondering if anyone has ever tried to go from a black to another color. Can you do this? Would you bleach it and then redye?

 

[Idledame]

Gee I totally forgot about shoe dye. Maybe my dream of spectators with a small heel is possible after all!
Dyeing fabric that has a pattern is interesting because you often can still see the pattern but it looks totally different. And if anyone is thinking of dyeing a stained garment, the stain will often come out a different color than the main garment, and look worse than when you started. Haven't dyed in years, but where do you buy it these days. CVS only had 2 or 3 colors the last time I looked. ( I miss Savon stores). And I've never tried cold water dye. I have tried using spray on fabric dye and fabric felt pens on a light stain on a black dress. It kinda worked. As far as going from black to another color, I would only try it on a garment that won't upset me if it gets ruined.

 

[lyburnum]

I recently bought this peplum jacket:

However it has quite bad fading on one arm, how easy would it be to colour match the jacket and just dye the one sleeve? Will it come out patchy as it's so light in parts? I can't dye the whole thing because of the embroidery on the front.

 

[Lady Day]

Id take the sleeve off and dye it in a very watery solution, gradually building up the color to match the jacket as best you can.

That, or find replacement fabric.

LD

 

[ShoreRoadLady]

Lyburnum, that's a beautiful jacket!

I would strongly advise against dyeing it, though. Here's why:

1) The color *will* end up different from the body, and with the embroidery, there's no way to dye the whole thing. If you had test swatches (as with dyeing yardage), you could probably test to get a *closer* match, but it still wouldn't be perfect, and you don't have the luxury of test swatches with a garment.

2) If you use a union dye like RIT or Dylon - and not a fiber-specific dye - the dye will probably bleed in the wash and possibly stain the embroidery.

3) I personally am leery of dyeing vintage. Cotton - unless it's very old and fragile - is more sturdy than other fibers, but this jacket looks like it's rayon or silk (correct me if I'm wrong), or a blend. Depending on the dye, the process often involves hot water, which can be dangerous to the fiber.

As for whether it would dye the light parts differently than the dark parts, I'd probably say yes, it would, but I'm more concerned about the difference between body and sleeve. There are so many variables: the undertone of the dye (violet vs. blue), the undertone of the original color, the concentration of dye, the time left in the dye bath.

I hate to say all this, because the jacket *is* lovely and I know you want it wearable! Ultimately it's up to you; you might try a very short dip in a light-to-medium dye concentration. This would (in theory) make the lighter areas a little darker without a drastic change between sleeve and body. But I've never tried such a thing, especially on vintage, and you could still end up with visible color differences.

Do you know how to make a pattern from it, or know someone who does? You could do that, make a new one, and use the original embroidery as an applique on the new one. That's what I'm planning to do with a lovely jacket that's not wearable due to visible mothholes/wear and tear: photograph every bit of it for documentation, then carefully take it apart if necessary to study it and make a new pattern.

 

[Vanessa]

It's going to be near impossible to try & correct the fade damage. Fading & underarm stains - ask not for whom that bell tolls, it tolls for vintage clothing. If you're set on wearing it, I'd take the sleeves off & pattern them in a complementary fabric - maybe make a matching skirt to tie it all together.