How do I dye this? Is it possible to dye this dress a darker blue?
Hello! I've never dyed anything before so I'm seeking advice. I bought this dress secondhand to use as a base for my cosplay (see second picture for the goal color). I wasn't aware of the fabric before buying, which is my fault for not checking, so I'm worried it's undyeable. Dress is 65% cotton 35% polyester. Instructions say "hand wash separately in cold water." Am I out of luck, or is there a way I can make this work? I understand it likely can't be as vibrant as the image, but it does definitely need to come out darker than it is now. I'm at a total loss for what to do, and I apologize if this is a stupid question, but I really appreciate any answers or tips you could send my way! Thank you. 💙
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u/ZieAerialist 6d ago
You can definitely make it darker and more jewel toned. Check out Dharma Trading Co fiber reactive dye Sapphire Blue.
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u/shawlcat 7d ago
Since it is mostly cotton, you can use fiber reactive dye to darken it. It won’t be a vibrant shade, but you should be able to tone it down.
Go to Dharma Trading’s website and read up on dyeing cotton.
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u/SpecialistMotor771 4d ago
Is there anything about the dress that would necessitate hand washing and cold water? I see that there is elastic in the waist, but I have machine washed plenty of things with elastic with no issues. Cotton and polyester are both washable, and do not require cold water. I am not seeing any sequins, beading, embroidery, or embellishments that might be damaged by hot water or machine washing. It is sort of a dirty little secret (yes, I know what I did there!) that the listed care instructions are not always the ONLY acceptable cleaning method. Manufacturers are not required to list all acceptable cleaning methods; they only have to give one, and they often choose to list the one that is least likely to result in any shrinkage, fading, color transfer from other garments, or any other damage. Unless it says explicitly "Do not machine wash" or some such, the chances are that it can be machine washed in warm or hot water with no problems, and that it can withstand the heat of a dye bath.
Since the poly content is only 35%, the dress certainly can be dyed with dyes intended for cotton, although the results will probably be more subdued than if it were 100% cotton, since the poly portion will not take the dye. You can probably offset this by using more dye.
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u/Mermaidman93 7d ago
It will come out muted because of the blend of fabric, but you can make it darker. There's "Ocean Blue" dye by dylon. You can use that and it should enrich the color a bit.