Name: donna
Message: I want to dye my insulated draperies.  they are 50%cotton and 50% poleyster, they are off white now and machine washable. I want to dye them a pumpkin color.  Pls advise what dye I should  use and the process.  what company, what die, what quantity? process?

thanks (-:

First, note that you cannot dye your drapes at all unless they are washable. Dry-clean-only means that you can't dye them.

Polyester cannot be dyed with all-purpose dye. In fact, the polyester will not take any easy-to-use dye, only a special dye called disperse dye which requires boiling. I don't think you'll be able to find a cooking pot large enough to boil your drapes! However, you can dye the 50% of the fabric which is cotton. (The dye will just wash off of the polyester fibers, creating a paler or heathered effect, depending on how the cotton and polyester are woven together.)

Since cooking your drapes would be so difficult, I recommend against using a hot water dye, such as all-purpose dye. Instead, you will need to obtain some cold water dye, a fiber reactive dye such as Procion MX dye. Purchase this dye by mail-order from any of the dye suppliers around the world which are listed on my Sources for Dyeing Supplies page. You will also need soda ash, which can be purchased from the same source of from a swimming pool supplies store, and ordinary non-iodized salt from the grocery store.

The easiest way to apply the dye to the drapes will be in a washing machine. See "How can I dye clothing or fabric in the washing machine?".

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