Name: Ross

Message: Hey I've always wanted to make a pair of purple jeans the color of these, and I found your site and now I sort of understand what to do but I may be a little low on materials. I have pants, but my mom won't let me use the washing machine and I can't order the dye. I have bleach though. So, if I got dye, I'd have to get it from a local store, so what kinda of dye do I get at a local fabric store and what method should I use?

Your problem is that it is possible that your local store will not sell any dyes that are good enough to be worth using. Many don't. If you use a hot-water all-purpose dye, such as Rit® Tint and Dye or Tintex® Easy Fabric dye, your results will be poor in color, will fade quickly, and will bleed in the laundry every time you wash them. If you must use an all-purpose dye, then you should apply it in the hottest water possible, hot enough to scald you at least, and then, when you wash the jeans, never use anything but cool water to wash them, because hot water is what causes the dye to make or break its relatively weak bonds to the fabric. 

If you can find a cool water fiber reactive dye in your local fabric store, that will be the best dye to use. Look for dye labeled "Dylon Cold Dye" or "Dylon Permanent". If you can't find either of those, look for Tulip fabric dye (don't confuse this with Tulip fabric paint) or a tie-dye kit made by Tulip, Duncan, Dritz, or Dylon. Do not use a tie-dye kit labeled with the Rit brand name, because that will be all-purpose dye. If you happen to have a very good art and craft supply store near you, look for Jacquard Procion MX dye, or a Jacquard Tie-Dye kit. If you mix two of the dye colors from a tie-dye kit, the turquoise and the fuchsia, you will get a bright purple color. (Do not add any of the yellow! Yellow is the opposite of purple.)

If you start with jeans that are any color besides white, you will not obtain a purple as bright as that in the picture. If you dye blue jeans, the results will be purple added on top of whatever dark blue you begin with, probably a dark slightly purplish blue. (Try spilling some purple Kool-aid drink on your jeans to get an idea of what color you will see; the Kool-aid will wash out of the jeans the first time you wash them, but it will give you an idea of what adding purple on top of dark blue can do.) If you can find some 100% cotton white jeans, they will be much more suitable for dyeing. Household bleach can be used to lighten the color of the dye in your jeans, though you will be unable to get it all the way to white without severely damaging the fiber. Do not use bleach on any garment that is not 100% cotton, as chlorine bleach is very damaging to synthetic fibers such as polyester or spandex. Also, do not try to dye any clothing that is not made mostly of cotton or other natural fiber. Polyester will not dye well. Be careful when you use bleach, because it is poisonous and can burn you.

You can mail-order dyes without a credit card, if you can get a money order or can get someone to write a check for you. Place your order either online or by telephone, find out the exact amount of the charge (including the cost of shipping), get the check written, mail it to the dye supplier, and then wait until they receive it and the check clears; then they will send your dyes to you. If you are in the US, I recommend that you order Procion MX dye from PRO Chemical & Dye or Dharma Trading Company. (See Sources for Dyeing Supplies Around the World for contact information.) Order some soda ash along with your dyes to use as a fixative.

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