Love makes a family After batch dyeing 6 different hues for a duvet cover, I tried my hand at ombré dip-dyeing. Dharma  Trading Co. advises starting with the lightest shade first, while Rit Dye's tutorial starts with the darkest shade first. Here's the ombré dip-dyed fabric sewn into a ring sling: Dye appropriate for your fabric type. I prefer Jacquard dyes. I used Jacquard iDye in the following proportions to achieve the end color*: 2 parts 418 Turquoise 2 parts 419 Royal Blue 1 parts 421 Kelly Green Non-iodized salt (if needed) Mason jar with lid (for mixing dye) Large pot or bucket Stovetop, camp stove, or bucket heater (optional, but keeping the fabric close to a simmer helps the dye absorb better) *Note on end color: I was aiming for a turquoise with some green undertones, but the end hue was a greenish teal. The kelly green wasIf you're aiming for a bluer hue, cut the kelly Add the dye powder/liquid into a Mason jar and fill with water.

I used approx. 1 cup (250 ml) of water per package of iDye, resulting in a full quart/liter of dye concentrate for 5 packages of(Note: I ombre dyed a total of 18 yards of 56" wide linen with this concentrate and still had some left over. If I had dyed the colors successively in the same bucket, rather than in separate buckets, I would have had at least half a jar of concentrate left.) Fasten the lid tightly and shake well. Even a few drops of this concentrate will stain your fingers a deep hue! If your dye calls for it, moisten your fabric before putting into the dye bath. If you want to leave the top undyed, then do NOT wet the fabric. You will need some way to hang your fabric and move it progressively upward. I suspended my fabric with a sturdy hanger. I was dyeing a double length for ring slings, so I simply folded the fabric twice lengthwise to fit on the hanger, then put the hanger in the middle. If you're only dyeing one length/garment, you'll need to attach it to your hanger with safety pins.

Next, I attached two ropes to a tree branch and moved my fabric up in 6" intervals. (I used two ropes to more easily jump back and forth between lengths, but you could make do with one rope.) I tied single knots in the rope and slipped the hanger hook through. debenhams montgomery curtains made to measureThe rope held 5 1/2 yards of wet fabric with no slipping.antoinette black toile shower curtain Fill your pot/bucket with boiling water. ikea ore shower curtain rod instructionsStart by adding apemberley green eyelet curtains

tiny amount of dye for the lightest hue, around 1/4 tsp or less per 4 gallons of water. I used a bucket heater to keep the water hot. You could also use your stovetop or campstove. Add entire length of fabric to the dye bath and agitate constantly. roomes upminster curtains(If you're keeping the top undyed, suspend the undyed end above the dye bath.) mandaue foam curtainsI kept my fabric folded over the hanger, but you might find it easier to take it off for this first step. ready made curtains 274cmAim to keep the fabric in the dye bath for at least 10-15 minutes to ensure an even tone, so don't add too much dye concentrate at first! You can always add more if needed. Tip for adding additional dye concentrate to a dye bath: Remove

the fabric before mixing in additional dye concentrate. The last thing you want to do is to pour dye concentrate right onto theyou'll end up with a dark spot! When the fabric has reached the desired shade, elevate one end 6" above the dye bath. (You may choose smaller or larger intervals depending on the length of the fabric/garment you're dyeing). Add a tiny bit more dye concentrate (start with 1/8-1/4 tsp) and gently agitate the fabric. My tip: Every time I moved to a deeper hue, I elevated the fabric 12", carefully stirred in the dye solution, then lowered it back 6". This  ensured a more even gradation between hues. I would also ladle the deeper dye bath up a few inches on the suspended fabric to help soften the hue changes. Here's a picture showing successive dye baths, starting with the 3rd color change and ending with the last one (I did about 9 color changes in total). Every 5-10 minutes, lift the fabric up another 6" and add more dye concentrate.

Continue to gently stir the fabric to ensure an even hue. As you reach the deeper shades, you'll add progressively larger amounts of dye concentrate and let the fabric sit for longer intervals. Your deepest hue should sit in the dye bath for around 30 minutes. Once the last part of the fabric has reached the desired hue, remove the fabric out of the dye bath. Always rinse from top (lightest) to bottom. If you're outdoors, simply elevate the fabric and rinse in place with a hose until the water runs clear. will be lighter once it's been rinsed, washed, and dried. Machine wash the dyed fabric with dye The lines between hue changes disappeared after rinsing & machine washing. I was very pleased with the end result!You are here: Home > All About Hand Dyeing > FAQ > synthetic fibers > dyeing satin Dye Polyester or Acetate Satin with Disperse Dye Jacquard iDye and iDye PolyDisperse Dye iDye Poly is disperse dye that can be used to dye polyester, nylon, and acrylic.

(Note that regular iDye is a direct dye that can be used only on natural fibers such as cotton; it can be mixed with iDye Poly to dye polyester blends.) Dye Silk Satin with Acid Dyes or Fiber Reactive Dyes Jacquard Acid Dyes are concentrated, powdered, hot water dyes that produce the most vibrant possible results on protein fibers including silk, wool, cashmere, alpaca, feathers, and most nylons. Dye Silk, Rayon, or Cotton Satin with Fiber Reactive Dye Procion MXFiber ReactiveCold Water Dye The first question you always have to answer, in choosing a dye, is what fiber it is that you're dyeing. You must match your dye choice to your fiber, or your results will be poor. Satin is a weave, not a fiber. Satin can be made out of many different natural or synthetic fibers. This means that it is impossible to tell you how to dye your satin without knowing what fiber your satin is made of. If you have a dress made of polyester satin, the answer will be completely different than if your dress is made of 100% natural silk satin.

If your satin garment does not have a label sewn in, or if the label's been cut out, chances are good that what you have there is polyester satin, which is difficult to dye. To find out for sure what fiber you have, snip a small amount of fabric out of a seam allowance somewhere, where it won't show, and try a burn test. Two excellent resources for interpreting the results of a fiber burn test are Griffin Dyeworks' Burn Test page and Ditzy Prints' Fiber Burn Chart. To test for acetate or triacetate, try dissolving a bit of thread from your fabric in some acetone-containing nail polish remover. If your satin is made from polyester or acetate, you will need to boil it for half an hour or longer with a special synthetic-fiber dye called disperse dye. Polyester will not take any other sort of dye at all; if you try to dye polyester with an all-purpose dye, such as Rit, or a fiber-reactive dye such as Procion, or an acid dye, the dye will just wash out. Acetate may stain with all-purpose or acid dye, but the results will not be good;

use disperse dye for acetate. See "Dyeing Polyester with Disperse Dyes". Satin that is woven from silk is the most luxurious kind. It is also easy to dye. The easiest way to dye silk satin or silk charmeuse is by using a fiber reactive dye, such as Procion MX dye, along with soda ash as the dye fixative. Unlike most dyes, Procion MX and a few other fiber reactive dyes have the advantage of being usable at room temperature, with no heat setting required. This is the exact same method as is used to dye cotton or rayon with Procion MX dyes; in fact, a good tie-dye kit will work very well. The luster of silk will be slightly reduced, and the softness increased, by the high pH of soda ash; a final rinse containing a little vinegar will partially restore the loss. If you do not want your silk satin to lose even a little of its luster, you should avoid the use of soda ash, and use an acid, such as vinegar, instead. You can use any sort of acid dye on silk. If you use fiber reactive dyes with an acid instead of soda ash, they too will function as acid dyes;

see "Fiber reactive dyes on protein fibers. For good results with acid dyes on silk, you must either use a hot dyebath, up to 185°F (87°C), or allow the dye to dry, wrap the silk in paper, and steam the fabric, in order to enable the dyes to bond to the fiber. The amount of time required for steaming varies from thirty minutes for Procion MX, Procion H, and Remazol dyes, to three hours for the French silk dyes, including Sennelier Tinfix, H. Dupont, and Pebeo Soie dyes. Nylon satin, if untreated, can be dyed with most acid dyes. Unfortunately, many nylon fabrics are coated with substances that tend to repel dyes, resulting in unsatisfactory dyeing. See "How to dye nylon or polyamide". Rayon satin will dye beautifully at room temperature with fiber reactive dyes, such as Procion MX dyes. The colors will be more intense than obtained on unmercerized cotton, but otherwise similar. See "How to dye rayon". If you can't find a source of rayon satin locally, you can mail-order it from Dharma Trading Company (see Sources for Dyeing Supplies).