Name: Mrs S Minshull
Message: Can I dye polyester cotton, in the same way as bleached cotton?

Yes, you can dye a cotton/polyester blend using a dye intended just for cotton, but your results will be lighter in color than if you dye 100% cotton, because the polyester will not take the dye. Dyeing a 50% polyester garment will result in pastel colors. This is true whether you use high quality fiber reactive dye, or lower quality all-purpose dye.

The polyester portion of the fiber can be dyed only with a special type of dye called disperse dye, which must be boiled with the fabric, or, for hand-drawn designs, can be ironed on. See "Dyeing Polyester with Disperse Dyes".

Alternatively, you can use a fabric paint on cotton/poly blends, for colors as bright as those on cotton alone. Pigment "dyeing" with fabric paint can be used for beautiful effects, though not for perfectly smooth solid color.

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