+

[Nefertieh]

Originally Posted by myalchod

Dye remover is typically to get a piece lighter; going from a light purple to a red might leave you a bit of a bluey tone, but shouldn't prevent dye from taking. I've overdyed fabric that was already dyed multiple times in the past, and the existing dyes have never caused a problem for me. That said, using dye remover probably wouldn't make a difference if your fabric's having trouble taking dye; that either points to a flaw in the process or something uncharacteristic with your materials. Did you wash the fabric completely before dyeing? Sometimes the finishes aren't really noticeable but still prevent the dye from taking hold.

If I had to guess, though, the dye not taking at all would suggest to me there's something in your process that might not have gone right. I've not used Dylon personally so I can't hazard a guess as to where, but that's something to consider.

Yes, I've washed the fabric before dying it. I've also done a burns test and I'm fairly sure it is pure cotton.

The funny thing is, I used the same batch of dye to dye some pink Yuna sleeves, and they came out fine. So I'm inclined to think that there's something wrong with the purple fabric.

I've tried to dye it again, using the aforementioned batch, and the fabric seems to only have taken a barely-noticeable tint to it.

[myalchod]

Huh. That's really strange, then -- I'm at a loss. All I can think is that there's some kind of finish or treatment that's preventing the fabric from taking. If you've got any dye in another colour lying around, you could always toss a scrap in that and see, or try another type of dye, but ... weird. :S

Good luck, anyway!

[Nefertieh]

Okay, I've managed to try it again and I got some good results. Third time's the charm! I ended up using about only two litres of water and another half packed of dye powder, plus some salt. I didn't do a lot of rinsing after dyeing it, so hopefully I won't have to wash it.

I did a bit of research and it turns out that the Dylon and dyes are not pure dye powders, but it also includes sodium ash. So more powder is required than what I had thought. I also learned that the dyes don't take temperatures above 50 degrees Celsius too well.

I think the reason why I couldn't take the dye the second time was because I had used the dye solution I kept from the day before. Apparently the soda ash degrades after a few hours. =/

[touchmon]

Hi, I'm going to be undertaking my first fabric dying experience sometime soon and I would like some tips if people here don't mind. .

I'm going to be making this. As you can see, her pants are two toned. This is probably me being stupid but should I make the pants first out of white twill and then dye them afterwords right? I'm thinking of using RIT if that helps.

[myalchod]

For a garment like that, you'd make them and then gradient-dye them -- either start with them just a little into the dye and lower them down progressively, or start with them in the dye as far as you want it to go and pull them out little by little. It's absolutely doable, just tedious and possibly messy; if you can at all, try doing it outside with a bucket and some kind of rig to hold the fabric, because holding it up yourself will get old really quickly. You'll almost certainly want to set it with a dye fixative afterwards to minimise the fading and bleeding.

Fair warning: true black is one of the hardest shades to get to take well. Don't be entirely surprised if it's less vivid than commercially-dyed blacks (though how much depends on your dye, fabric, concentration, etc.). (I dyed the fabric for my Miranda dress, and it came out a little like a fairly wash-faded black; not with RIT, and it's probably a little extreme because I was going for somewhat faded, but the example serves.

@Nefertieh Glad your stuff finally worked out! (I didn't even think about soda ash breakdown because I've never left things sitting, but that makes total sense ... Dyes usually require something to help them bond to the fabrics, though, whether it's mixed into the powder ahead of time like with RIT or Dylon or added separately like soda ash or acids.)

[Spoofehness]

I'm doing Sebastian from Black Butler. I already have a very good vest, but it's black, where the main body of Sebastian's jacket is gray. How can I wash out the black to a gray uniformly? And how do I protect the lapels so they stay black during this process?

Thanks very much in advance.
Nik

[Syagria]

Originally Posted by Spoofehness

I'm doing Sebastian from Black Butler. I already have a very good vest, but it's black, where the main body of Sebastian's jacket is gray. How can I wash out the black to a gray uniformly? And how do I protect the lapels so they stay black during this process?

Thanks very much in advance.
Nik

Short answer: You can't. Get a grey vest.

Long answer: You can't. Get a grey vest. It's very difficult to fade something uniformly, especially while keeping another section of the garment completely untouched. The manner in which a fabric takes a dye (or is susceptible to having a dye removed) depends heavily on the fiber type and the method of dying. Most commercially available clothing currently being produced is made from material that has also been professionally commercially dyed, with dyes that are not available to the average consumer. These are very strong dyes that are very resistant to washing out, fading, or bleaching, since most consumers would be pretty upset if they bought an article of clothing only to have the color wash out after 2 or 3 washes.

In short: Get a grey vest.

[itsuxmasa]

I'm trying to dye vertical stripes onto nylon tights. How can I dye the tights as neat a possible? Is there a way to dye stripes onto nylons without letting the colors smear or bleed? Some other advice I heard was to paint the stripes on with acrylic paints so that the colors wouldn't smear; however, I'm afraid that if I do that once the paint dries it might crack, peel, or be uncomfortable since acrylic paint is very thick.

[tifaia]

Originally Posted by itsuxmasa

I'm trying to dye vertical stripes onto nylon tights. How can I dye the tights as neat a possible? Is there a way to dye stripes onto nylons without letting the colors smear or bleed? Some other advice I heard was to paint the stripes on with acrylic paints so that the colors wouldn't smear; however, I'm afraid that if I do that once the paint dries it might crack, peel, or be uncomfortable since acrylic paint is very thick.

Go with paint. Dying stripes is incredibly difficult and doing it with nylon tights would be near impossible. Not completely impossible, but near it.

See Fabric Paint Thread: http://www.cosplay.com/showthread.php?t=239429

Don't use acrylics. They don't stretch with the fabric, can potentially flake, and will make the nylons feel rough against your skin.

Fabric Paint. Look into it.

[Ororo Monroe]

I did a quick search about dying linen and nothing came up. Here is the quick rundown. Let me know if it's confusing or needs more details. The Fabric Store is not carrying there heavy weight linen in Firecracker red or anyother color good for Miko robes (kyede, inu yasha, priestess). Could I dye one of the fabrics they do carry? Which one would work best (bleached, natural, Krista natural)? Does it matter if the fabric is softened or not? What dye would work best? I mainly have Rit on hand, but would be willing to look for another? And finally, how much should I use? I know that with brighter colors like reds your should use 2 and even 3 times the amount the bottle suggests to get the right color.http://www.fabrics-store.com/first.php?goto=showarticles&menu=f&article=2&sa=1& printed=
Please and thank you. I'm sorry there isn't a pic.

[myalchod]

What I would do, in your shoes, is get swatches of the types you're considering and test dyeing them. In theory, RIT should work -- linen is a natural plant fibre much like cotton, and can be dyed in a similar fashion, though the way the dye takes may not be the same. (I can't speak to personal experience with RIT dye on linen -- I've used fibre-reactive dyes in the past myself.) The important thing with dyeing is to make sure there's no finish to the fabric, and if the fabric's been softened that may alter how it dyes -- but at least your store looks like they have swatches, and that's a definite plus.

Good luck! Hope that helps some ~

[Oniigiri_Basket]

Alright, so I'm going to be dyeing this sweater http://www.target.com/p/mossimo-wome...s/-/A-14020161 (in white) with RIT dye since it works really good with Nylon apparently. (This is a Nylon/Rayon blend.)
What I'm worried about, though, is that the sweater is supposed to be washed in cold water, but dyeing fabric requires hot water. Does anyone know how this will affect a sweater like this? Should I get a size up in case of shrinking? I've heard washing some garments in warm water can really screw up the fabric... D:

[Ororo Monroe]

Originally Posted by myalchod

What I would do, in your shoes, is get swatches of the types you're considering and test dyeing them. In theory, RIT should work -- linen is a natural plant fibre much like cotton, and can be dyed in a similar fashion, though the way the dye takes may not be the same. (I can't speak to personal experience with RIT dye on linen -- I've used fibre-reactive dyes in the past myself.) The important thing with dyeing is to make sure there's no finish to the fabric, and if the fabric's been softened that may alter how it dyes -- but at least your store looks like they have swatches, and that's a definite plus.

Good luck! Hope that helps some ~

Thank you very much. It's a big help. Now, what are fibre-reactive dyes? Dyes made specifically for certain fibres?

[myalchod]

Originally Posted by Ororo Monroe

Thank you very much. It's a big help. Now, what are fibre-reactive dyes? Dyes made specifically for certain fibres?

I actually have no idea on the specific origins of the term (Wiki indicates the term is from the dye mechanism, where a chemical reaction's involved directly with the substrate fabric XD ), but I've seen it as a generic for "Procion MX" dyes -- they're used primarily for cellulose fibres (e.g. cotton, rayon), but can also take on protein fibres (e.g. silk, wool). They work in conjunction with soda ash (or acid, for protein fibre) and salt, which you have to add yourself, but come in a wide variety of colours, are pretty economical, and in my experience give pretty good results and flexibility. I get mine from Dharma Trading.
TBH, I use them because RIT dye and I don't seem to get along, but if you've had good results with RIT there's no reason not to keep using it.

[Ororo Monroe]

RIT dye and I are on a need basis. It's what I can get a hold of without driving an hour as our local Walmart carries it. I'd like to try other options as the color doesn't alway come out the way I want it...