dyeing cotton

[Miss USA]

Okay, so I decided to try it. Ive been reading all the posts about tinting yarns with food colouring and kool aid, so I gave it a shot- SO MUCH FUN!!! I am so totally addicted! (My pictures below)

 

I used sugar and cream cotton, it was perfect!

Looped and tied it

Soaked it 30 minutes in hot water and 2 ounces of vinegar

(my colours) 1 packet drink mix, 6 ounces hot water, 2 ounces vinegar

Orangy-peach and yellow (microwaved on high for about 6-8 min)

Reds and blues

The finished product

This site is so awesome! Im picking up so many fun ideas here! Thanks guys!

[Yelutci]

Cool! I've only tried wool- I didn't know it would work on cotton, too! As hot as it's been I may try some out in the sun today.

[CrazeeMoi]

OOOOOOOOOH I wondered if the cotton could be dyed also. Thank you for trying and sharing!! Your colors look great!! Hopefully I can try it too!!

[losingmymind2]

I don't think it will be colorfast. For cotton I've used commercial dyes (Rit) and it came out very nicely; but I don't think koolaid will last.

[Miss USA]

I don't think it will be colorfast. For cotton I've used commercial dyes (Rit) and it came out very nicely; but I don't think koolaid will last.

 

I dunno, but it sure rinsed out super clear. I even scrubbed and nothing bled. It seemed to work pretty well

[purplepeaches]

Its beautiful! I really hope it is coloursafe - get back to us on that - I would love to try cotton!!

[crochetdreams]

i wonder would heat setting it in a drier make it color fast?

im also toying with the idea of trying koolaid and jello dying on mercerized cotton since i purchased a ton of it at the dollar store:think

Dee

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[sammimag]

Even better than Rit dyes for cotton are Procion dyes. I get them at Dharma Trading Co and I use the mostly for Tie Dye but they would work great on cotton. I did dye a cotton wash cloth I crocheted and it came out very dk

 

Procion dies actually bind with the fibers and come out very brilliant and very color fast. They are designed to work with cellulose fibers which is what cotton is. You can use Procion dyes with wool to but you have to add heat to make it set.

 

To learn more about different types of dyes and their properties this is a great website: http://www.pburch.net/dyeing/aboutdyes.shtml

[jenksie]

I was wondering if cotton would dye also. I figured it would since when you tie dye a shirt your supposed to use 100% cotton. dito on the colorfast thing!

[tygger428]

Cool pics, I have Kool Aid dyed in the past, found my dyed yarn in storage recently, and the color was still there. I had forgotten the directions, though. How did you apply the Kool Aid to the yarn? Brush? Spoon? or ??? Dharma Trading Co I have heard of, it is north of me in San Rafael I believe. Can you share the URL or other source you got your directions from (a post here perhaps? I am a newer member, only posting for the first time today)

[Shell]

you can dye things with kool-aid?!? WOW! can't get kool-aid here though so what happens when the kids are drinking it and spill it all over the place as kids do? scary... vinegar is usually great to set colours, or epsom salts. if it can be used on wool why does everyone think you couldn't do it with cotton? they're both natural and very suseptible to dyes.

[sammimag]

if it can be used on wool why does everyone think you couldn't do it with cotton? they're both natural and very suseptible to dyes.

 

It's the nature of the the fibers. Wool is a protein fiber and cotton is a cellulose fiber(plant fiber). It's the nature of the the food colors in the koolaid that actually do the dyeing that can bind with the protein fiber and not with the cellulose fiber.

 

You can find some info here

more detailed info on food color dyeing (which is essentially what you are doing when you use kool aid) This explains in detail why wool and other protine fibers will dye with kool aid.

 

Most of the info that I find online suggests that kool aid will also fade from wool mostly due to sunlight exposure. That being said I have some dyed roving that I felted that has not lost color when I felted it, nor has it faded but most if it is kept indoors.

 

Here is some info about how to set dyes and what works and doesn't work and why.

 

This is where I get my dyes: Dharma Trading Co.

 

They also carry a variety of yarns you can dye

[Shell]

It's the nature of the the fibers. Wool is a protein fiber and cotton is a cellulose fiber(plant fiber). It's the nature of the the food colors in the koolaid that actually do the dyeing that can bind with the protein fiber and not with the cellulose fiber.

 

:lol

Sammimag you just reminded this lil chickadee why, as a typicall straight A student, she failed chemistry!! thanks for the flashback