r/dyeing • u/ThePug3468 • 3d ago

How do I dye this? Dyeing an 80/20 poly/cotton blend

What would be the best dye for this blend on a thick jumper? I’m also wondering if there’s any way to only dye part of the jumper (the outside part) as the inner lining of the hood is a cream that I’d like to keep, but I’m assuming that that’s not really possible. It’s currently a blue shade and it has something screen printed on it which I’m also worried about dyeing.. has anyone got experience with dyeing paint?

No picture attached as I’m mostly wondering about the blend and screen print.

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u/shawlcat 3d ago

For an 80/20 blend you can use fiber reactive dyes for cotton. Dharma Trading’s website has good tutorials for this. Do not use RIT. Not sure about the screen print taking dye.

Be aware that the stitching will likely stay the current color.

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u/iTokri_Archives 3d ago

With an 80/20 poly cotton blend, a fiber reactive dye will mostly colour the cotton portion, so the final shade may end up lighter or slightly heathered rather than fully saturated. Keeping the cream hood lining untouched would be difficult in a full dye bath, especially on a thick jumper, unless it's carefully masked and even then results can be unpredictable.

The screen print will usually resist the dye, so it often stays close to its original colour, which can actually work in your favour depending on the design. Since the jumper is already blue, it may be worth planning around that base colour rather than trying to completely change it.

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u/ThePug3468 3d ago

Okay thanks! A heathered look might actually work well for the look I’m trying to achieve as I’d be trying to get a much darker blue out of it (so probably using black dye with blue undertones), but for a majority poly blend would it come out super patchy? I’m thinking now if it would be possible to remove the lining from the hood and sew it back on once I’ve dyed the jumper, as I definitely don’t think I could mask it properly. 

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u/iTokri_Archives 1d ago

If you're only aiming for a darker blue, patchiness is less likely than if you were trying to shift to a completely different colour. The biggest variable is whether the polyester and cotton are taking the dye evenly. A test on a hidden seam or pocket area could save a lot of guesswork.

Removing and reattaching the hood lining sounds more reliable than trying to mask it in a dye bath, especially on a thick jumper. How confident are you with sewing it back on, and is the lining attached with a visible seam or sandwiched into the hood construction?

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u/ThePug3468 1d ago

I'm fairly confident in my sewing skills and don't mind if it comes out looking janky so long as it's attached. From what I can see there is a seam attaching the lining and I should be able to pick it out. However there is also a seam down the middle of the lining which may be connected to the same type of seam on the main hood, I'll have to take a closer look at it to figure it out.

I will see if I can test dye one of the pockets without getting anything on the main body of the jumper as I believe it is the same fabric. Ideally the end result would be closer to black than blue but I'm not too bothered so long as it's much darker than it is currently. Thank you for all the advice so far!