Dyeing a Single Garment

We can dye a single garment but it is not always practical on garments that have not been prepared for dyeing and there is a risk of shrinkage. Our methods are designed to minimise any shrinkage and it is rarely a problem. The fibre content and/or the construction can make a achieving a good result a challenge. We receive many enquiries asking if we can dye wedding dresses. Typically from cream to black or another dark shade. It is sometimes possible and we have successfully helped out in a number of cases but mixed fibres in the garment can create some difficulties. For example the lining may be a different fibre from the rest of the garment and may dye differently or even not at all. Most garments will be sewn together with polyester threads unless they were intended to be dyed in which case the thread should be cotton. Polyester thread will not dye in silk or cotton dyes and so will remain the original colour. You could have a black garment with white stitching - not always desirable. If you are having a wedding dress made ask for it to be sewn with 100% cotton sewing thread. This will be of benefit to you should you decide to dye it later.

Polyester garments may be able to be dyed from pale shades to mid shades.

For some small cotton or silk single items, shirts, skirts etc you may be able to use the excellent Dylon dyes at home. We now supply these along with expert advice on their use. If you do not feel like tackling this at home by all means ask us. We can use the Dylon product of your choice and also dye to the Dylon method and our purpose built sample dyeing machine will achieve the best result possible with this method. This method does not include colour matching or additional processes but does cost considerably less than our normal commercial method. Please ask us for details.

We would advise against attempting to dye large or heavy items at home as it will be virtually impossible to achieve a level shade or colour fastness with domestic equipment. The result is usually a "tie-dye" effect and we receive a number of these to rescue. More about D I Y - Dye It Yourself

It is not practical to dye garments made of wool, mohair, alpaca, cashmere etc in a washing machine. Dylon hand dyes will dye these fibres but are unlikely to achieve deep shades.

Polyester and acrylic cannot be dyed at home. Structured garments like jackets with padding in the shoulders for example are unlikely to be suitable for dyeing.

Cotton, linen, viscose, acetate, silk in suitable garments may be dyed.

Hope this helps, but we are happy to give advice. You can use the form on this page to send your queries which will be answered promptly.

Oh and yes we can dye faded jeans to black.

Anne Lucas