Name: Beka

Message: Hi   I have purchased a 100% Polyester Charmeuse Champagne duvet cover.  I would like to dye it a dark black as I have been unable to find the color I am looking for in bedding.  Is this something that I will be able to do with this type of fabric?  If it is, should I use an acid dye?  And how do I go about getting the best possible results?  I spent a lot of money on this spread and I want to make sure it will take a dye.

No, I'm sorry, but it's very unlikely that you will be able to dye a 100% polyester duvet cover a solid dark black.

The only way to dye polyester a solid color is to boil it for a while with a special polyester dye called disperse dye. You can buy this dye from Aljo Mfg in New York, PRO Chemical & Dye in Massachusetts, or as the new "iDye Poly" from a Jacquard retailer such as Dharma Trading Company. The problem is, how are you going to boil it? Your dyeing pot must be large enough to permit whatever you dye to move freely in the water, or else you will get a tie-dyed look rather than a solid color. How large of a pot would you need to boil your duvet cover? Probably ten gallons or more.

If you are serious about dyeing and will be dyeing many things in hot water dyes over the next few years, then it's a great idea to buy yourself a dyeing pot. You should get a very large cooking pot that is made of stainless steel or unchipped enamel. (Enamel always ends up chipping, so stainless steel is best.) You should never reuse a dyeing pot for food preparation, once you've used it to dye anything. This means that a ten-gallon pot would be quite an investment!

You will not be able to get a dark black if you dye polyester at less than a boil. The temperature obtainable in a typical washing machine is far too low. Polyester dyes best above boiling temperature.

I think that you should return this duvet cover to the store, and either find one online somewhere in the color you want, or buy one in an easily dyeable fiber. You can use cool water fiber reactive dyes, such as Procion MX dye, on most natural fibers. They work great in a washing machine, a large bucket, or (for other than solid colors) in direct application. Look for a duvet cover that is made of real silk, or cotton, or rayon, linen, hemp, or bamboo. Alternatively, buy some fabric yardage of some delicious material, dye it, and have a local seamstress sew it into a duvet cover for you. The sewing involved in making a duvet cover is not of a very demanding level. It's best to buy "PFD" fabric, which is prepared for dyeing, from a source such as Silk Connection, TestFabrics, or Dharma Trading Company.

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