HELP! dying cotten fabric white to red:

[zumbergc]

Question for all your bucket dying people. So, I attempted to dye something cotton matterial from white to red. Got a white cotten dress cheap, and want to be queen of hearts, so need a red dress. Well, I dyed it, it looked red. So after your done dying the stuff, i was rinsing it with cold water to get the extra color out.

Well, then I stuck it into the washer, dryer, and now its a dark peach color. Pretty color, but it insn't red.

So, was I rinsing it too much, did i not stick enough color in there, i used like 3/4 of a bottle. Did i miss a step, what makes the color set?

What did i do wrong. I used the rit liquid.

 

[Mrs. Bradbury]

I've not had experience with Rit liquid, but have used Rit powder several times. I believe it says somewhere in the instructions how much fabric one box/bottle will dye, and it's not nearly what you might think. It's natural to think 1 piece of clothing = 1 box of Rit, but that's not necessarily the case.

Also, if your fabric is not 100% cotton, you can get some odd results.

Finally, check other sources but I *think* putting vinegar in the final rinse will help set the color. But verify because I'm definitely fuzzy about that.

 

[AristocatFan]

I've never used the liquid Rit either but when I tried the Rit powder I forgot to add the salt to the dye mixture. Did not get the color I wanted! I've had much better luck with the dye from the fabric store, I forget the name of it but it was so simple and came out the exact color needed. Plus the fabric store had a much better color selection of dyes!

 

[disneyeveryyear]

Also, did you wash and dry it first without any fabric softener to remove any sizing that would used during production?

When I dye (usually tie-dye), I wash and dry all garments and then soak in water with soda ash (to help set dye) before I apply dye.

 

[autumnsmommy]

Procion dye is great, you can get it online from www.dharmatrading.com and has a wide variety of colors. Adding salt and stirring will help deepen the color also. If you don't stir, then you can have spotting where the dye hits the salt and concentrates. It's a nice effect, but not if you're not trying to do spots.

 

[zumbergc]

I did a lot of what people are mentioning. I pre-wash, no fabric softner. I put the salt in, i got the fabric wet before hand, before submerging, was swirling the stuff around.

I didn't do the vinager to set the stuff. Anyone else recommend this? How much do I add? Is it regular white vinager ok, cause i already have some of that.

 

[Earstou]

Rit isn't the best for color saturation, and red is the hardest color to dye.

I would try another dye.
My dd has worked with dyes (but is out of the country right now so I can't ask for a brand name) and she bought them at a weaving store near her college.

 

[Lisa_M]

Dylon dye works very well on cotton and you can get it from Joann Fabrics and maybe Walmart, but I'm not certain on that one. When I dyed prefolds I soaked them a LONG time 30-40 minutes and put salt and vinegar in make the color set. I'm not sure if it was both were needed, but that is what I did. It will fade over time. The only one that won't fade would be the Procion dyes you can get online.

 

[Kickapoo Joie Juice]

Rit dye is pretty sucky. If you have a Pearl art store near you go check out their dyes-I bought some two step dye for a project about 5 years ago (after not having any luck with rit) and it was fabulous. I want to say the brand name was something like Jaquard. Sorry I don't have more specifics, but I can tell you there are MUCH better dyes available out there.

 

[VanessasMom]

Dylon dye works very well on cotton and you can get it from Joann Fabrics and maybe Walmart, but I'm not certain on that one. When I dyed prefolds I soaked them a LONG time 30-40 minutes and put salt and vinegar in make the color set. I'm not sure if it was both were needed, but that is what I did. It will fade over time. The only one that won't fade would be the Procion dyes you can get online.

Ditto on the Dylon. I soak for a long time--usually a few hours and then put it in a plastic bag overnight before rinsing out. My reds came out vibrant and are still great after washing.

 

[beeayekay]

The best, deepest colors are reached by the hottest water and longest dye time. I have used both liquid and powder Rit and have gotten the colors I wanted by simmering the fabric for an hour. I have a large soup pot I use just for dye..... I dye A LOT for the theater ....... and just put it on the stove. Make sure your family knows you are dying fabric and not making dinner!

Try again. This time use the entire bottle and stir and simmer the fabric.

Good luck,

babs

 

[MichelleinMaine]

Rit does not do well with bright colors. I honestly don't get why it is so popular.

As others have said- get Procion dye. AC Moore has it in the same area they have tie dye kits. I believe that's what is in the Jaquard kits, but they sell bottles individually as well. Presoak the item in soda ash/water. (Soda ash should be in the same area of the store.)

 

[englishteacha]

Hmmm...if fabric dying doesn't work, could you soak the dress in watered down paint?

 

[Imzadi]

It's the Rit dye. It is absolutely the worst dye. It should be banned off the market.

Go to Dharma Trading, as someone linked to above. I used to teach fabric painting on cotton and painting dyes on silk. These are all professional grade paints & dyes. Get one of their dyes or fabric paints for cotton.

The Seta Color fabric paint is great. It's in a bottle and very dense in color. As it is a paint, it will cover over your existing peach color with no feel to it, so you do not have to worry about getting a color mix of the current peach blending with the red you use. Just water it down enough so you can get a good flow of it. Paint it on or submerge it in just enough liquid.

Also, let the dye/paint saturate in overnight before rinsing out. The longer the color is in, the more it will help set the color into the fabric.

 

[natashag76]

I agree with PPs - Rit is not a good product. At least not for clothes!

 

[riley2008]

IMO - use the Procion dye at Dharmatrading if you want the "best" red.

For a cheaper option and what I'd do: 1. I'd get the Dylon dye. Most fabric stores and Walmart carry it - in the craft section, not where the Rit dyes are located. 2. Wash the dress in OxyClean - not detergent of fabric softeners. 3. mix the Dylon dye with salt and about a gallon of HOT water. 4. add the dress, stir and then put dress in a ziploc bag overnight (do not rinse yet) 5. 24 hours later, rinse in cold water until water is clear


We use Dylon dyes every year for tie-dying and they really hold their color well. (I even wash our dyes shirts with whites without worrying.) Note: Dylon makes a cherry red dye in a black package (the black packaging is the newest). It really is a red on the pink side, not brown or black side. Still a great color.