Anyone know about dying clothes at home?

[LRDtheFeministDragon]

Excuse me if this isn't quite a 'Style and Beauty' question - I couldn't think where else to post it.

I have a white bolero (viscose-lyra mix). Would that fabric take to dye? And do you have any tips for dying things at home?

Thanks!

I'm not sure that would take dye tbh. Natural fibres take dye the best, things like cotton etc. Viscose might dye but lycra definitely won't. If the viscose takes the dye, it will come out marl effect because of the lycra in the mix. HTH

Ah, ok. Thanks very much. I know nothing at all about this, so really useful!

Re: dyeing tips. I always use Dylon washing machine dye. Make sure to weigh the item(s) you want to dye to make sure you have enough dye, otherwise the colour will be diluted. I buy the lacks of Dylon salt that they sell alongside the dye too, although I'm sure normal cooking salt would be fine and probably way cheaper. After you've used the dye, make sure to run an empty hot wash with list of washing powder/liquid to clean the machine. I always use cleaning wipes to clean the glass door, plus - really important - use them to clean the rubber door seal, and make sure you pull the seal open to make sure you get all the dye out. Finally, try to make sure that if, for example, you are dyeing something navy/dark, your next few loads of laundry are similar colours and nit white linen sheets, just to avoid any mishaps.

Oh, and also, even if the dye takes to the fabric OK, the stitching doesn't usually take the dye. Not necessarily a problem - I dyed a pale grey top navy, and the stitching stayed pale grey, but it looked fine with the navy fabric. Good luck!

I dye loads. The washing machine ones are the best as you get totally smooth 'coverage'. You'd probably need a few items though eg. I did 2 double sheets and 2 pillowcases the other day one one packet. Yes, sometimes stitching and buttons/ zips keep their original colour, but it can look quite good. I don't think your top will dye tbh, you need to use mostly cotton or a good % of cotton. I use normal cooking salt as it is WAY cheaper. You also have to bear in mind the original colour of the item eg. I died some jeans red and they came out purple. If you dye a yellow top blue, it will come out green. This can make the colour a surprise, but I have rarely been disappointed. I prefer dying things which aren't white as the colours come out a bit more unusual.

Oh, thanks, this is so useful, merry and saurus. I will bear it in mind, especially about stitching not dying/possibility of unexpected results!

I actually just put in a similar colour wash after dying and then fine to do white. I still have lots of navy from last week on the seal - it's not coming off!

It's fun dying something patterned as the patterns will all come out in different colours.