How to Dye Your Own Fabric

Dyeing is a textile process that adds color to fabric, yarn and fiber. Dyes can be natural or synthetic.

Before dyeing, the fabric is treated with mordants to bind the dye and make it water-resistant. Some mordants are natural, such as salt, tannin from oak galls, alum or vinegar.

Color Choice

Fabric dye is available in a wide range of colors. Consider the color palette you want for your clothing line or individual pieces. Keep in mind that it can be difficult to match the same color dye to a specific garment twice, particularly if the original piece is a printed or yarn-dyed fabric.

A color guide is helpful when dyed fabric. Pantone guides are readily available, although the cost makes them prohibitive for small fashion labels or startup companies.

Before you start the dyeing process, apply a mordant to your fabric. This will help the dye adhere to the fabric more evenly. This is usually done with salt or vinegar, depending on the type of dye that you are using. It is best to apply the fixative at a temperature higher than your dye bath. This will help prevent the fixative from leaking off your fabric and staining your work surface or clothing. It will also help the dye stay in the liquid phase longer, giving it more time to set.

Preparation

The fabric or fibres you want to dye need to be cleaned thoroughly, a process called scouring. Often items bought in shops have had chemical finishing agents added to make them look crisp and new, these will prevent the dye colour from penetrating well, giving you a paler result.

Before starting you need to prepare your dye bath as specified in the instructions of the particular dye product you are using. The dye powder needs to be thoroughly dissolved in water, this is important because it ensures that the dye is distributed evenly across the surface of the fabric or fibre.

You will also need to decide whether your fabric or fibres need a mordant, this is used to help the dye "bind" to the fabric or fibre. A mordant can be an aluminium, iron, copper or even soya milk (although this last will produce a slightly lighter shade of dye). The fabric should then be washed again to remove any remaining soil or chemicals that may interfere with the colouring process.

Dyeing

In the dyeing process the dye is applied to the textiles. The dyes are dissolved in water and brought to the temperature required for the type of dye being used. During this time the dye molecules pass through the fibre and are attracted to its surface. This is called Molecular Diffusion.

Fabrics with natural fibers such as cotton, wool and linen absorb and capture dyes well. Synthetic fabrics such as polyester, nylon, spandex, olefin and acetate do not hold as much dye. It is important to know your fabric's content and fiber type before you start to dye it.

After your dyeing is finished, rinse the fabric well in warm to hot water. When rinsing it is important to agitate the fabric so that excess dye is removed. Some dyes may specify a specific time for this. After rinsing, allow the fabric to air dry or wash in a machine with an old towel. Always keep dyed fabric separate from other items to prevent color transfer.

Washing

During this process the fabric is washed and treated with aqueous alkaline chemicals and bleach to remove natural impurities and prepare it for dyeing. Many fabrics are also washed with optical brightening agents for whiteness.

The dyeing itself is done in a jig, kier or vat using a dye bath that may contain various mordants depending on the desired effects and the fibers' affinities for the dyes used. Dyeing can also be a time consuming and costly process.

In the early days, dyes were derived from natural sources. Tyrian purple, for example was a highly prized dye extracted from the bodies of murex snails. Crimson was a dye extracted from the dried bodies of the kermes insect and Sepia brown was derived from cuttlefish and octopus.

Today's chemical industry has developed synthetic dyes that produce stable colors, but not all colors are suitable for textile industry requirements for lightfastness and temperature stability.