Name: juanna

Message: Can I dye a table cloth (100% polyester) that is red to a Navy Blue? 
How Would I do that?

No, I don't think you want to do that. While it is possible to dye polyester by boiling it for an hour with a special polyester dye called disperse dye, you would need a large non-aluminum cooking pot, large enough for your tablecloth to move in freely while submerged; this cooking pot should never again be used for food, after you've used it to dye fabric. 

Unless you are going to be dyeing a large number of polyester items, it will not be worthwhile to invest in such an enormous cooking pot. A new tablecloth would cost a lot less!

The best thing for you to do would be to buy a new navy blue tablecloth, or buy a dyeable white PFD cotton tablecloth. Dharma Trading Company sells cotton tablecloths and placemats that are suitable for dyeing. Be sure to buy only items that have been sewn with cotton thread, as otherwise the thread will remain the origional color you dyeing. You can easily dye cotton using Procion MX dye, following the "How to Dye With Fiber Reactive Dyes" recipe. Unfortunately, you cannot dye polyester with fiber reactive dye.

For more information about dyeing polyester, see "Dyeing Polyester with Disperse Dyes".


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