Did I say "dying?" I meant "dyeing", as in dyeing material! I found a great new looking, three piece heavy duty (quality) bathroom rug set at a garage sale recently. They were priced for only $1 and looked great. The only problem? They were light blue, not the color I wanted for my bathroom.
At that price for that value, I ended up buying them anyway and decided that I would try to dye them myself. Now I haven't dyed anything in a long time and worried they wouldn't come out consistently colored and dark enough. Boy was I pleasantly surprised!
I dyed them in the washing machine according to the directions on the package, Rit Dye in this case. I just filled a small load with hot water and added the dye, mixed it and then added the rugs and let it sit for the allotted time. Then I sent it through the rest of the cycle at the end.
They all came out pretty great, if I must say so myself! One box (around $3) gave me the set of three heavy rugs a deep, attractive green I was looking for! See the photo of the three rugs hanging on the line. The light blue rug was a similar color to their original color. I just didn't think to photo them first.
So if you see a deal too good to turn down; some curtains, rugs, even clothes at a garage sale or thrift store, don't be afraid to color them to your liking. Don't be afraid to Dye! :D
This page contains the following solutions.
I grew up in a house where Mama made all my clothes and I remember her explanations of why the dye had to be "set" in cold salt water. She also told me about pre-shrinking new fabric so that the garment wouldn't shrink after it was made and washed.
Here are the questions asked by community members. Read on to see the answers provided by the ThriftyFun community.
I have an emerald green evening dress that I want to make white. Is this possible and how would you suggest I do this?
By Lisette
I don't think there is any way to remove all the dye from a dark dress like this. Even if you were able to bleach out the color without damaging the fabric (and most evening gowns are dry clean only), it would definitely leave color at every sewed seam.
If you do find a way, please let us know. Good luck.
I agree with the previous poster. There is likely no possible way to remove the dye from an evening dress without destroying the fabric.
RIT makes a product for removing dye. Ive never used it before so I dont know how it will react but I would recommend you test it on a swatch of similar fabric. Get a swatch from your local fabric store if you dont have a silk or satin pillow case to use.
How do I change a blue scrub shirt to navy blue with food coloring?
I have no experience with dying cloth with food colouring. It seems to me it would be an expensive way to go. Why not get some Rit fabric dye, which is available in many places, and use that?