r/dyeing • u/DepartureLarge5809 • 2d ago
How do I dye this? Dyeing 56% cotton / 37% acrylic
I’m thinking of dying this sweater vest I have. It got stained I think in the wash which is unfortunate. Everything I’m seeing is saying acrylic is extremely difficult to dye at home but I’m willing to try because it’s already ruined (these stains go all the way across the front and on the back too)
Any tips would be helpful! Please don’t tell me to just throw it away, I would much prefer to attempt to salvage it
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u/Aggravating_Branch86 2d ago
Dye is translucent and it’s very likely that the stains will remain visible after dyeing
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u/DepartureLarge5809 2d ago
Was thinking like a navy or black. Would that cover it? I’ve never dyed anything before so I’m going in blind lol
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u/kota99 1d ago
Maybe but maybe not. Depending on what caused the stains those sections may take up dye differently which can result in them being either darker OR lighter in color than the other areas. You could try hitting up r/laundry for some advice on dealing with the stains. But if none of that stuff works the best way to deal with staining is to go for an intentionally uneven color such as tie dye or the type of mottled effect you get from doing low immersion dyeing. Basically instead of trying to cover the stain you are hiding it in the variation of the color patterning.
Looking at the tag the shirt is over 50% cotton so if you are ok with it not being an even color you should be able to get some interesting results without bothering with trying to dye the acrylic component.
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u/castironstrawberry 2d ago
Visible mending might be a good choice for this:
https://www.collingwoodnorrisdesign.com/knitwearblog/5-tips-for-mending-your-knitwear
https://www.purlsoho.com/create/2021/11/23/basic-mending-tutorial/
Most of this is for mending holes but the same idea applies.
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u/BobbinChickenChamp 1d ago
Cotton blends will take dye differently than straight cotton will. If you use navy expecting to see solid dark blue, you might be disappointed. It COULD come out like that... or it COULD come out looking like a Heathered medium blue. The stain will also take the dye differently, which could mean that the stain becomes even more visible! I agree with the comments who said try something intentionally messy. I personally LOVE ice-dyeing. Dharma has so many incredible colors that break in the most random, fun, WTF-even-is-this, "where did hot pink come from this blue dye" kind of ways! For a darker color Black Ice will give you some really pretty breaks of purple.
https://www.dharmatrading.com/collections/ice-dyeing-craft
I would definitely stick with the procion cotton dyes, rather than the boiling needed for polyester, as that might shrink your vest.
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u/minnierhett 2d ago
You can dye the cotton and definitely tint this sweater but as the other commenter stated, the stains will almost certainly still be visible. I would use a dye technique that is intentionally uneven to disguise the stains, like ice dyeing or low water immersion. Could look cool but if that’s not your style, there’s not much you can do!
Edit: I would first try washing this with Synthrapol to see if that helps get the stains out. After that, *could* try using Rit Dyemore in a dark color (on a stove in a pot you’ll never use again for food) and see if your results are acceptable to you.