Dyeing linen

[MarkWithaC]

I foolishly left a linen top draped over a chair in my bedroom window for weeks on end in the sunny weather, and it's faded in irregular patches. The original colour is a heathery/coffee brown and the faded patches are yellowy.
Can I dye it with a shop-bought dye pack, without it coming out patchy? I was thinking of black or a dark charcoal grey. Would I have to bleach it first and can you buy stuff for bleaching clothes?
It's from Poetry and is described as 'linen jersey'.

TIA.

It might come out patchy unless you go really dark, but you can get a pre dyeing product to remove the dye first.
One thing to watch out for is the thread used; if it is polyester, it won't dye unless a specific dye for synthetics is used, which is an argument for using only a few shades away from the original, if there is a lot of visible stitching.

Thank you. I don't know what the thread is, but there isn't much visible.
I'll look for a pre-dye. That was the kind of info I was after, so thanks!

Hi if you look at Rit dye they have products for dyeing synthetic as well as natural fabrics. I might be tempted to use it if you’re not sure the thread is cotton. They also have another product for removing the colour first to even it out. It isn’t necessarily a product you throw in your machine though it’s something you may have to do in a big pan on the hob. ( or boil the water and then dye the shirt in a big plastic tub). You need colour fixer too. Look for tutorial videos on You Tube or Instagram

https://www.ritdye.com/

Not sure the Rit dye suggestion will work - they have an all-purpose dye, but it won't dye pure polyester, if that's what the thread is. They have a polyester dye, but ir won't dye linen.
Can you cut a tiny bit off the thread and hold it up to a flame with a pair of tweezers? If it burns with a bright flame, it's cotton thread and will dye with the same dye as the linen. If it melts instead of burning, it's polyester.

If the original colour was brownish, you can always try using a natural dye made of really strong coffee. Plenty of info online if you have a Google.

I’ve tried this with subtly faded items and also to take items from white to cream, so it may be worth a try?

Thanks everyone. More excellent food for thought.