Dyeing sofa covers

[Pomegranatemolasses]

Am considering dyeing blue sofa covers grey (Dylon smoke grey). Currently a mid blue with some very faded patches. Would appreciate any opinions/advice on the likely success or otherwise. Thanks.

ps tried to upload a photo but can't currently.

What about the bits you can't dye like the arms etc?

The entire covers can be removed including arms

My main concern is the issue of putting grey dye directly over blue.

You'll end up with a bluey grey I imagine. It might also turn out that the faded patches don't dye the same colour as the rest.

What are the covers made of? If they're synthetic or a synthetic mix you won't get the result you want.

If they're cotton then visible non cotton thread won't take the dye when the rest of it does.

Make sure you weigh the fabric and use enough packs of dye. You'll probably need to split the load to get everything in the machine and get an even result.

Do you have a scatter cushion cover that you can try first?

It can work really well if the covers are 100% cotton. I dyed mine and they came up beautifully, from very faded old rust to Dylon Tulip red I think it was.

You need a large capacity washing machine or there's no room for the fabric to agitate and spread the dye evenly. My 2 seater came out looking great but the 3 seater, while much improved, was definitely patchy because it was crammed in with no room to move. It took four loads to do the 2 sofas, a separate load for the cushions from each sofa, then 2 more loads for each loose cover.

You have to wash them first as well, then a rinse cycle afterwards so it's a long process but well worth the effort. You also need lots of boxes of dye per load. I think I guessed at the quantity - maybe 3 per load for the 2 seater and 4 or 5 per load for the 3 seater.

Because you want to change the colour I guess you might only get a good result if you go darker than the original colour. There is a colour stripper / bleach you can use first if you really want a complete change of colour but I haven't tried that.

I got another 4 years of wear out of mine and I'd do it again if the cat hadn't shredded the arms to rags.