Dyeing Ques.

[Maj. Clive Hathaway]

Hello all, looking for some advice...
I've got a white linen suit i'd like to turn into an ivory linen suit ala Mark Twain. Any ideas for the best method to dye it? I've only ever used Ritt dye in the past, and never on anything this large. I had thought perhaps using tea, but i think this might make it too brown. Any input would be welcome.
Thanks,
~H

[clairdelune]

Wash your suit before you dye and one of the best dyes to use is Procion(don't bother with Rit), follow instructions and you should be happy with the results.  And yes, they have ivory as a color option.
http://www.dharmatrading.com/procion.html#colors

[Maj. Clive Hathaway]

Thanks... should i actually WASH it, or will drycleaning do, or perhaps drycleaning chems are a no-no??

[pixlaw]

What are the cleaning instructions in the suit?  If it says "dry clean only", that's a clue.  Although with just about any method of dyeing, submersion in water is a requirement.

[Kelley]

The biggest issue I see is the chance that during immersion in water, part of the suit jacket will warp. You can never know if the makers pre-shrunk the fabric (and all the rigging) or not, or what it can withstand. Fusible interfacing (which your suit probably has) can end up pretty mangled if washed in a machine or at all.

I would be wary of using more than lukewarm water, although there is the possibility that immersing it even in cold water will have bad, unfixable, results.

It might be worth a shot - but if you do dye it that way, you should be prepared for it to not come out well.


You might have luck painting the dye on, or spraying it on, especially since you're looking to get just a slight tint anyway. However, I'm not sure about getting an even tint that way.