Name: Joan

Message: I have red cotton slipcovers that have faded from sun and washing.
What kind of dye should I use to perk up the red, and can I use my washing machine to dye these slip covers?  They come off in sections: arms, cushions, skirts, etc.   

The easiest way to dye your cotton slipcovers will be in the washing machine, using Procion MX or another good type of fiber reactive dye.

Will they all fit into one washing machine load? If not, you will have to go to some effort to make sure that the conditions are exactly the same in each of the loads that you dye, so that the color will come out the same. If you dye a large amount of fabric in one washing machine load, and a lesser amount in another washing machine load, the two or three batches will come out different colors.

If you will have to divide the slipcovers into two or more  loads for dyeing, you must weigh them, and make sure to have two or three loads that contain exactly the same weight of fabric. Be careful to fill the washing machine to the same level, so as to use the same amount of water, and make a careful note of the time at which you put in each of your dyebath ingredients (dye, salt, soda ash, fabric), so as to run each load for exactly the same amount of time with the dye. Measure your dye carefully, as well as your salt and your soda ash, to be sure to use the same amount of each thing.

If you live in Europe or Australia, use Dylon Machine dye, which contains a good fiber reactive dye known as Drimarene K dye. This dye is not available in North America, but you will get excellent results by following a good recipe for washing machine dyeing with Procion MX dye.

You should be aware that, because dye is transparent, areas that are heavily faded now will still be lighter in color than the other areas, after you dye them. Very dark or intense dye colors will help to cover up differences. If you use a dye that is the same color as the original dye, you may find that using a larger amount of dye, two to three times as much as the recipe requires, will make a red that is intense enough to help cover up any differences.

For more information, see "How can I dye clothing or fabric in the washing machine?".

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