Experimenting with Fabric Dye

Have you ever found yourself looking for fabric, felt, yarn, string or wood beads in a very specific color?  I recently took on a project that required all of those materials in 3 different colors.  Knowing it would be near impossible to purchase all the finished materials in the desired colors, I decided to try dyeing my own.  I selected Rit All-Purpose Dyes for the challenge.  These dyes have been trending on DIY blogs and Instagram with impressive results.  So the great dyeing experiment began!
I’ve had a little experience with natural dyes (see More Info below) so the technique was familiar.  The generous guidance provided on the Rit website gave me the confidence to proceed.  I started by looking for the desired colors.  It is, of course, very difficult to match colors online.  But I got a good start by using online samples of my target colors and comparing them to the Rit color recipe samples.

Choosing the dye colors is only one factor to consider.  I learned there are several major variables that can impact the final outcome including: the amount of dye used, the length of time in the dyebath and the type of fabric/materials being dyed.  There are also minor variables such as water temperature, adding salt and original color of materials.  To get a feel for how each major variable would impact my results, I started by dyeing some swatches to set a baseline.

Concentration of Dye Bath
A dyebath is created by mixing dye into hot water (ie 140⁰F).  The ratio of dye to water is an important consideration.  According to the directions on the Rit liquid dye package: “For every pound of dry fabric (i.e. 2 adult large t-shirts), use ½ bottle (4 ozs.) of dye with 3 gallons of the hottest water safe for fabric.”  So the recommended ratio is 4 oz dye:3 gallons water.  Since I only needed to dye swatches, I decided to start with a smaller dyebath and a lighter concentration of dye.  I used 100% cotton cheesecloth for my first batch of swatches.   For the base colors which are used directly from the bottle, I used 1 Tablespoon dye:12 cups water. This is about half the recommended concentration.  Then I dusted off my math skills to convert the color formulas for the mixed colors.  I jotted down my scaled down recipes and set up the laboratory!
It’s a good idea to test your dyebath with a folded piece of paper towel before immersing your fabric/materials.  This provides an opportunity to check that the color is as expected and to adjust if necessary.

Another step that worked well for me was to prepare labels in advance.  I simply printed the names of the various colors to be tested on strips of paper.  Then I used clothespins to clip the labels to the swatches.  This helped me keep track of which color was which as the swatches moved from the dyebaths to the drying rack to the finished pile.

Duration in Dye Bath
When it comes to timing, Rit indicates “Item can remain in dyebath from 10 minutes up to one hour.”  I was careful to treat all my swatches in the same way so I could compare the different colors.  After putting the swatch in the dyebath, I stirred constantly for 10 minutes and then stirred occasionally for another 20 minutes.  Then I removed the swatch and rinsed it in cold water.  Here’s how they turned out.

Later I played around with an ombré effect to see how the length of time in the dyebath would impact the results.  It’s quite easy to get pretty ombré results—just dip the item into the dyebath, bottom first, and lift it out gradually.  The colors at the bottoms of the tassels, shown below, are darker because they were in the dyebath longer.

Type of Materials Being Dyed
I had a lot of fun dyeing different materials.  I tried cotton fabric, wool felt, wool/rayon felt blend, polyester felt, wool yarn,  cotton tape, cotton string, crochet cotton, lace, driftwood, wooden beads, birch bark and basket reed.

I even tried handmade paper.  The trick with dyeing paper is to work fast.  It worked best when I just dipped the paper into the dyebath and then laid it flat to dry.  Here’s how the dyed paper turned out.

It’s amazing how much the final color can vary between materials.  All of the below items were dyed in the same Cockatoo dyebath for the same duration.  The color of the cotton materials is noticeably more saturated than the color of the wool materials.  But there’s also significant variation between cotton materials such as the cheesecloth and the cotton fabric.  The white section at top left, a piece of what turned out to be polyester felt, didn’t accept the dye at all.  A different product, Rit DyeMore for Synthetics, should be used for fabrics made of synthetic fibers such as polyester, acrylic, and acetate.

One lesson I learned the hard way is to properly prepare yarn, cord or string for dyeing.
♦TIP:  Secure strands of fiber with figure 8 ties before putting it in the dyebath.  This prevents the strands from getting knotted into a tangled mess.

The Rit instructions state “Wet the fabric, squeeze out any excess water and add it to the dyebath.”  Hard materials such as driftwood, wooden beads and basket reed require a slightly different approach.
♦ TIP: Pre-soak natural materials, such as driftwood, wooden beads and basket reed, in water.  Immerse the items in the dyebath and stir for 10 minutes pushing down any that float to the top.  After 10 minutes, I covered the items with a piece of scrap material to keep them submerged in the dyebath.

After studying my swatches, I determined that 2 of the colors I tried, Aquamarine and Spectrum Blue, provided a good match with my target colors.  Aquamarine is a Rit base color and Spectrum Blue is made with a Rit formula.  None of the greens I tried, however, matched the light spring green I had in mind.

After a few more tests I created a formula that worked.  I call it My Spring Glow.

So here’s the winning combination shown with the dye recipes, concentration and duration.

Here’s how the dyed materials looked in the final project.  Regular readers may recognize this elaborate flatlay from my last post FanningSparks Turns 3!

More Info

You can learn more about Rit dyes on their website.
You may be interested in these two posts which discuss natural dyes: Natural Dye Making and Sheep to Shawl.

Today’s Takeaways

1. Dyeing your own fabric, or other materials, allows you to create any color you can imagine.
2. There are several variables that impact the dyeing process including the amount of dye used, the length of time in the dyebath and the type of fabric/materials being dyed.
3. Be prepared to experiment when doing your own dyeing.