Tutorial: Fabric Dying
Posted by Jodie Pascoe on
How To Dye Fabric - Using a Commercial Dye - By Jodie Pascoe
Do you ever find that the perfect fabric for your project is getting harder and harder to source? You might find it in the right type of fabric but the complete wrong colour or vice versa. Dying your own fabric could be the answer and its actually a lot easier than you think.
To start, you need to pick the correct dye for your fabric type. Popular dye brands are Dylon or Rit, which can be found at your local craft / fabric stores..
I prefer to use the Dylon pod dye (not boxed dye!), however Rit have a much larger colour range and also have a range of dye for synthetic fabric. For the best results use 100% cotton or pure linen and always prewash the fabric before dying.
For my project today I’m using Metro White pure linen from The Topknot Doll Linen Co. and Dylon dye in ‘Dusty Violet’.
Once you have selected your dye and colour, you will need to weigh your dry fabric to ensure you have enough dye for the amount of fabric you are using. The Dylon dye I’m using requires one pack of dye to 600g of fabric. (1.5m of The Topknot Doll Linen Co. linen equals approx. 438g)
Dampen the fabric and place it into the drum of your washing machine. Remove the plastic cover from the dye pod and the tab on top. Sit the full pod in an upright position, on top of your fabric.
Run the washing machine on a full regular cycle. This dye worked best at 40c/104f. After a full cycle, remove the empty pod and repeat a new washing cycle, this time including washing powder. Look at this gorgeous lavender fabric.
Don’t forget to run an empty cycle in your machine to completely remove any traces of remaining dye once you are done with your project.
When drying your fabric, its best not to dry it in direct heat or direct sunlight but to dry inside on an air dryer or in the shade.
Once the fabric is completely dry, iron thoroughly before cutting out your Peony Patterns pieces and don’t forget to share your amazing work on the Peony Patterns social media pages!
The Daisy pattern was used to create this dress