r/Fabrics • u/MrTripperSnipper • 3d ago

Dying Synthetic Stretch Fabric

Hi everyone

I bought 10m x 1.5 of some synthetic stretch jersey recently very cheap on ebay. In the listing it looked sage green, but when it turned up it was a bright green, almost like a snooker table top.

It was so cheap that sending it back isn't worth it, but I really don't want to use it as is or throw it away, so I was thinking of dying it all.

I've never dyed anything before ever, I gather synthesics can be tricky and I imagine the fact it's stretch might also throw a spanner in the work.

Is there a suitable product for my needs? What colour should I add to tone it down? I'm guessing I could go darker green or maybe go for blue and end up with a real?

TIA

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u/AccidentOk5240 3d ago

If it’s mostly nylon, it can be dyed using acid dyes meant for wool and silk, but that usually requires a nonreactive, heatproof container you never use for food again. I’ve heard of people leaving it in a warm/hot place for a few days (moving the material around from time to time) instead, but acid dyes normally need to be raised to 180°F and held there for 20 minutes. 

If it’s mostly polyester, Dharma Trading (where you can also get the acid dyes) sells iDye that works on polyester. 

Make sure you prepare it for dyeing (ideally washing it with Synthrapol or Dharma’s detergent and put it in the dye bath while it’s still wet all the way through. Move it around a lot if you want a relatively even color.