We can dye a single garment but it is rarely practical on garments that have not been prepared for dyeing. The fibre content and/or the construction often make a good result unlikely. We receive many calls asking if we can dye one-off garments. Typically a wedding dress from cream to black or another dark shade. It is sometimes possible and we have successfully helped out in a number of cases but often the mixed fibres in the garment 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 thinking of having a wedding dress made to be dyed after the event there are a number of things you can do to help make this successful. Call me for advice if you are interested.

 

For small single items, shirts, skirts etc you may be able to use the excellent Dylon dyes at home. These cost just a few pounds and will be considerably less than our minimum charge for dyeing a single garment. The customer care line for Dylon is 0208 663 4801. If you call be ready to tell them the fibre content of your garment and they will advise on the best Dylon product to use. We would advise against attempting to dye large or heavy items at home as it will be very difficult to achieve a level shade with domestic equipment. The result is usually a "tie-dye" effect and we receive a number of these to rescue.

 

It is not practical to dye garments made of wool, mohair, alpaca, cashmere etc. These fibres will "felt" (become matted) unless they have been treated to make them machine washable.

 

Polyester and acylic 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 I am happy to give advice where I can.

 

 

Tom Waling

 

0116 2488133 or see contact page for email address.