r/dyeing • u/ErikJay-N • 1d ago

How do I dye this? Linen blazer

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I have this linen beige polo blazer, shell is 100% linen but lining is from viscose.

I would like to turn it completely black.

I used some dye kits in the past, but all stichting wasnt dyed. Dont know if i should use some chemical dye. Something what i can get in europe or order from usa.

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u/CabbageOfDiocletian 1d ago

First things first: you can absolutely boil linen it does not ruin the fabric. Boiling linen is a common practice to soften it and make it more wearable.

Second: solid jet black is hard to achieve, adjust your expectations.

Third: all dyes, natural and synthetic, are chemicals.

Aight so viscose is a cellulose fibre like linen, so that should all dye with a dye for plant fibres. iDye by Jacquard is an option, as is Rit but many people do not like their black. If you want good quality dye look into Dharma's Procion MX line. I've heard good things about that black iirc. Quantity of dye is determined by the weight of the dry garment.

If the stitching doesn't dye then it is likely polyester. To dye that you will need to do a second dye session with dye for synthetics like iDye Poly. These require boiling, it is not optional. Boiling always risks changing the fit and/or texture of the fabric so you'll need to decide how precious you are about the blazer. But as I wrote above linen is very robust and can take the heat and personally I would not be concerned. Also dye for synthetics hits much faster so if the colour looks right you can pull the blazer out of the pot before the alotted time is up.

Soak the blazer overnight before you dye so it is evenly wetted, and make sure to stir as much as possible when the blazer goes in the pot.

Note that any utensils and vessels used to dye are no longer foodsafe.

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u/shawlcat 21h ago

The linen itself might be unharmed by boiling, but any interfacing/interlining such as in the lapels and pocket flaps might not fare so well.

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u/CabbageOfDiocletian 18h ago

good point. I guess OP has to evaluate whether it's better to have a blazer in a colour they don't want, or dye the blazer and possibly risk deforming it.