Trying to make some white tee shirts I like the cut of a dark teal colour they don’t make them in. I used Rit dye and too small a container. They came out splotchy, inconsistent in color, and way lighter than I wanted.
I’m going to try using color remover to see if it can be just make it white again (or close to it).
How should I try again? What dyes are actually good if I just want a flat, consistent color? Does anyone have recommendations for heating like 25L (6gal) of water above the temperature of the hot water from the tap? Trying to do it with a 4L pot on the stovetop and a 1.8L kettle was kind of ridiculous.
I’ve dyed stuff with Rit and it went just fine, though both times I really made sure to go every possible step written on the box to get the best result. I did it in a big ass stock pot on my stove and just boiled it for like an hour, then followed it with some fixative, though I’m skeptical the fixative really did anything. One of my favorite dresses is one I bought pure white and then dyed blood orange
With Rit dye and probably others make sure you thoroughly wet the fabric before putting it in the dye water in the pot so the dye enters more slowly and thus less splotchy. And the bigger the pot the better, I used a 12 quart stock pot on a stovetop which works for probably 1 shirt and maybe 1-2 other small things like socks. I’ve seen people use a bath tub but I’m not sure how the kept the water hot in those situations.
Can I do multiple shirts in a row, or is the dye in the stockpot only good for the one shirt?
I think it’s good for more after. I’ve done more after.
I got the largest aluminum pot at the restaurant supply store and heat it up on my stove. I can do a few garments at the same time this way. It helps to be tall or have a stepstool.
Jacquard dyes are a bit more specialized compared to RIT. You need to pick a dye type to match the fabric type. Nylon/polyester dye with one kind of dye while cotton dyes with another. Depending on fabric you may need to use a dye fixative like soda ash or similar ph changing substance and sometimes high heat again depending on fabric type.
This site has a lot of info and taught me a lot when I looked into dying some time ago: www.pburch.net/dyeing.shtml
No but I know a lot about living fabrics
What is skin but living fabric
and what about the smell?
Well? We’re listening.
Shit I’ve been found out
Either a metal drum over a fire or get 20x1L insulated flasks (achievable if you have good thrift shops near you).
Ah, insulated flasks! Good idea!
I might try a stovetop method with a really big, cheap pot from a thrift shop.
