Advice About Dyeing Clothing

I've always loved wearing really unique colors and odd color combinations, i.e. red shirt with blue pants, purple shirt with white pants, etc. However, I've been thinking lately, is there a way to dye clothing efficiently to get even more unique colors than are commercially available?

I have a lot of colors of shirts, so I don't think I'd need any more, but what about my pants. I wear long Dickies brand pants, and their color range is limited. Would it be feasible to buy a pair of white pants and then use some sort of cloth dye on them to craft myself a bright green pant? Or maybe a baby blue? Or even a bumble-bee yellow? This would bring a whole new dimension to my clothing.

So, the question is, how and where does one purchase clothing dyes? How effectively do they work? Will they work on heavy-duty Dickies pants? Lastly, will they be wash-safe, or will the colors run?

Thanks in advance!
Gnome

Answers:

Advice About Dying Clothing

Rit brand clothing dyes are available in lots of places, including your local grocery store, WalMart, Target, etc. Check the laundry aisle. They have lots of different colors, but they work best on natural fabrics like cotton. The color doesn't stick so well on synthetics like polyester.

So if your pants are a cotton-poly mix, the colors will not turn out as brilliant or vivid as they would on all-cotton. The dyes will work on heavy cloth too, as long as you purchase enough dye. The instructions on the box/bottle usually tell you how much dye to use per pound of cloth.

The color is wash-safe, after the item has been washed a few times. Good luck! (07/25/2005)

By Lynne

Advice About Dying Clothing

I have also recently started dyeing clothes and have found it to be a really great way to "recycle" clothes. I am not sure if this is an old wives tale, but I was told by some to put salt into the dye when washing. It supposedly helps color to set in cloth more. Again, not sure if this is true or not. Maybe other more experienced might have heard of this and whether useful or not. (06/05/2009)

By Joan Vance

Advice About Dying Clothing

For anyone who likes yellow shades, try experimenting with spices. A favorite white cotton T-shirt of mine turned pink in the wash, and I hate pink. So I sprinkled some saffron and some tumeric (lying around the kitchen for years) into a basin of hot water, and within an hour I had a tied-dyed pale yellow look. I left it soaking for several more hours, and the shirt is now an even deep shade of yellow.

Good luck! (06/05/2009)

By Nica