Fabric Dyeing Questions

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May/June

Dear Jennifer:

I recently bought a beautiful acetate/spandex evening gown via e-bay.

However, it obviously came from the home of a smoker and smelled like it had been stuffed up the chimney.

I, therefore, decided to expose it to ozone (we keep an ozone machine running due to my husband's allergies).

Just hanging it in the bathroom with the ozone hose was not cutting the smoke, so, at my husband's suggestion, I placed the garment in a paper grocery sack with the ozone hose running in the sack. After two days, I checked the garment and found that the strong smokey smell was dissipating from the area closest to the hose. Accordingly, I refolded the garment and exposing the ozone hose to the area that still smelled the strongest.

Due to several hectic days, it was 5 days before I again checked the dress, at which time, I intended to wash it in cold water and dry it flat as per the instructions. When I removed the dress from the bag, it had lost color in blotches throughout the material, fading in places from its original black color to a brownish gold in spots. And yes, the smell of smoke was gone, but was replaced with an ozonish synthetic smell. So, do you think there is any help for this dress at this point? For now, I have hung it in the attic away from the ozone, hoping it will air out and regain its original color. What do you think happened and why?

Thanks so much for your prompt response.

I should have had it professionally cleaned as soon as I got it, but hindsight is 20/20.

Barb

Dear Barb,
You know, I have purchased many things on ebay myself, & some of them arrive smoky. I have an ozone machine, too, but it is the box kind. I usually drape the offending piece over the box, rearranging it every few hours until it smells okay.
I really don't know what happened with your dress except the overly-simple explanation of a "chemical reaction." In my experience, acetate is very color unstable. I have tried washing it several times & the color always runs (a lot) & the water leaves a water mark.
Since the acetate is a synthetic fabric, there is no hope for dyeing it black again. Dyes which are available for the use of ordinary mortals only work on natural fabrics.
Chalk it up to fabric adventure. At least you didn't pay retail for the dress!
Jennifer

I bought a flower girl dress in white. My dress is ivory. I just want to give it a little color. An off-white. I am not trying to match my dress color exactly. I read the posting about the polyester, and not being able to dye it. Does this also apply to just giving a hint of color? The dress is 92% poly and 8% licra. It has an organza-type fabric overlay. What about tea-dying? Would that work on this dress? One more thing...the dress says "dry clean only". Please help me. I really want this dress in my wedding. Thanks, Joy Whitener

Dear Joy,
It is so interesting, I was just making a stab at dyeing rayon organza myself without much result. Organza is a really slippery, translucent fabric which the dye does not want to adhere to. Especially in polyester. In general, the reactive dyes do not stick to polyester at all.

You could try tea dyeing if you are not attached to the result. Or if you have a back up plan. I really don't know what it will do!

The reason that I say that you should have a back up plan is that you must immerse the entire dress in warm-to-cool water, & the care instructions in the dress say dry clean only. This means they are not guaranteeing that the trim, the dress, the overlay, the lining, etc. or any part thereof will withstand soaking in water.

Go to www.askjeeves.com & search for tea dyeing. There are some good, informative sites there with a lot of stories from people who have done tea dyeing in various ways. Have fun & good luck! Have a wonderful wedding!
Jennifer

I'm getting married in October and planning on wearing my mothers wedding dress. I have recently purchased new lace for alterations , however the dress is 38 years old so the colors are off. I was told lace can be stained in tea to achieve the right color but I do not want to do this myself. Do you know of any companies in the New York area that provide this kind of service? any information you can provide is appreciated.

Thank you.
Sincerely,
Michelle

Dear Michelle,
Isn't it great that you have your mother's dress to wear? I am sure that it will be beautiful & truly special.

What you have in mind is such a small job that no commercial company is likely to do it. Even if they did, they would not guarantee a match or even a certain color. Tea dyeing is actually very easy. Do an internet search & look at some of the directions that are listed. One good site is http://www.sewbridal.com/Sewing_Help/DyeingLace/body_dyeinglace.html. Get some extra lace to experiment with. If you cannot find exactly what you bought, then get some of the same fiber content to test with. This should be a fun creative project! Have a wonderful wedding!

Jennifer

Hey there,

A question from a fellow Austinite...
I have a denim couch that spent the 1st few years of it’s life close to a window facing south. If the whole thing had faded, I would be fine with it. Unfortunately it was only about 1/3 faded. Any way after a few years of trying to cover the fade with pillows and throws, I dyed the darn thing last night.
I used Denim Blue RIT dye (probably a mistake), but I awoke this morning to what appears to be a brand new (dark blue) sofa... It looks great !! My question is how can I seal it? Will ‘Scotchguard’ work ? I don’t want guests dressed in white to leave my house blue... Or did I mess up so bad that I should just drag the couch outside and ignite it?

Thanks a ton,
Chuck

Dear Chuck,
So, tell me, did you pour liquid Rit right on the faded part of your sofa? I am glad that it came out as well as it did, at least in appearance!

My first experiment here would be to rub a cotton ball in various parts of the dyed area to see if the dye will come off. If so, & my guess is that it will, you have an area that you cannot sit on wearing white pants. In general, dye that is designed for water immersion must be rinsed repeatedly to remove the excess. I don't know how you are going to adequately rinse at this point. Scotchguard or anything short of those clear plastic things on the furniture that we experienced as kids will not prevent the dye rub-off (called crocking).

Another problem is that the sun faded fabric is weakened & is not destined for a long life. Do not set the sofa on fire. Have it recovered asap.
Jennifer

Hi Jennifer,
I have a bright green poncho (wool) that I would like to dye jet black. Do you know anyone that can provide this service for an individual piece? I am hesitant to do it myself since I want the color to be uniform and I don't want to risk shrinking it. Please let me know. Thanks.

Dear Kikelomo,
I don't have much experience with this kind of dyeing. Wool, being a natural fiber, can be dyed with reactive dyes, but it must be processed in very hot water, which will shrink & felt the fibers.

A quick search of the internet turned up a listing for True Color Fabric Dyeing in Soquel, California. It looks like they do all kinds of fibers & all kinds of jobs, but the listing is several years old, so you will have to check it out for more information. Here is the link that I found: http://www.ecoquality.com/sqa/reciptruecolor.htm

I like the poncho & even its current lime green color! Good luck with your project.
Jennifer

Have you heard of the dye method using a large mason jar, 1 or 2 yards of muslin and 2 or three colors of Rit dye. It is fairly simplistic, or so I have heard and I would love to try it. The method seems to have originated in Australia. Any information will be helpful, Many thanks
Llynnda

Dear Llynnda,
I have not had any experience with this method, but my high school girlfriend (my friend that I have known since junior high, actually) is adept at dyeing in ziplock bags. She is a quilter & uses this method for small amounts & special effects. When I have something small to dye (in my case, usually silk ribbons or lace), I use a plastic bucket with about a quart of dye solution.

Searching the internet for dyeing in jars turned up the following interesting sites:
http://sbrittingham.freeservers.com/handdye.html
http://www.geocities.com/SoHo/7212/12color.htm
I don't know exactly what you mean by using several colors of dye. Are you looking for a multi-colored tie dye kind of thing? If so, please visit www.dharmatrading.com for great basic instructions on this method. I recommend the reactive dyes for best results. You will need ordinary salt & soda ash, which is available in pool supply stores or from Dharma.

Dyeing muslin or quilter's cotton is indeed easy & a lot of fun. Keep me posted on what you create & how you use it!
Jennifer

Hi,
I have 2 wooden chairs in our breakfast nook that I would like to dye a different color. How do I go about doing that? The chairs are a cream color now and I want to dye them a cranberry color. Thank you for your time.
Amy

Dear Amy,
I am assuming that you want to change the color of the upholstered seats on these chairs.

I advise against trying the dyeing option. In order to dye fabric, the fabric must be a natural fiber (cotton, rayon, linen, or silk) & it must be submergable in warm water. Shrinkage & distortion are possible. You cannot pour dye right on the cushions on the chairs. (Although I sometimes receive correspondence from people who have done this, they are usually writing to me to find out if they can allow their friends to sit on the chairs after the process. The answer is No.)

I would suggest a much more simple method - get a fabric you like, cut it bigger than the cushions, remove the current seat part of the chairs, ( they will either unscrew or pry off), staple the new fabric right over the old. Use the best staple gun you can get. Replace the seat cushions.Voila. Instant color change & a lot fewer steps.

Have fun redecorating!
Jennifer

 

You can ask Jennifer questions at dizzylettuce@Fabrics.net.

Jennifer Thompson Miller: I love my work in beautiful textiles, color, trim, and design! I am a devoted student of fashion history and love vintage and vintage-inspired looks. For many years, my main focus was fashion sewing, using natural fibers in beautiful colors. In recent years, much to my delight, I have learned color mixing and silk dyeing. This has added a vibrant, versatile dimension to my fashion design.

I learned design and needlework from my mother and grandmother, and I am very grateful for their inspiration and instruction. Some of my earliest memories are spending time in the fabric store, while my mother designed and picked out fabrics for glamorous outfits. From the age of ten, my mother and other fashion-conscious ladies would ask my opinions on fabrics that they were combining.

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