How to Dye Fabric Decor Items

Do you remember how my living room was decorated for fall last year? I used neutral tans and brown with an accent of green on my sofa. I also bought 2 new Pottery Barn throw pillow covers in cream, tan and rust.

I was into the new pillow covers last fall, but when I got them out this year they didn’t thrill me anymore. This fall I am craving more deeper colors in the room.

The covers were expensive and I felt like I needed to use them. After some thought I got the idea to dye them blue.

I was a bit hesitant to dye them at first as I have never dyed anything before and wasn’t sure the tapestry style and woven fabrics could be dyed successfully.

After doing some “how to dye fabric” research online I began to feel confident I should at least try it as I like to experiment and learn new ways of changing what I already own.

I am so glad I dyed them! The pillow covers are now a blue color that will go with the cozy, moody, yet cheery fall look I want to create in the living room.

How I Dyed My Fabric Pillow Covers

After doing how to dye fabric research, I chose to use Rit All-Purpose dye. (This is not a sponsored post)

Rit sells a few different formulas to dye all sorts of fabric as well as many other items in any color you can possibly imagine. I was surprised to find out just how many things can be dyed.

Their dyes come in liquid and powder formulas in both their All-Purpose dye and their newer DyeMore dyes made for synthetic fabrics.

If you can’t find the color you want in their line of colors, they even have a Rit Dye Custom Color Formula Page where you will find charts showing what colors of dye to mix to get pretty much any or the exact color you want.

Select Your Method

I learned so much about the process of dying fabric and feel like a pro now. If you are thinking about dying an item you first you have to choose your color, then you need to figure out the method of dying that will be the best for the item.

-For general dye projects, use the sink, bucket or large plastic bin method with very hot or boiling water. I used a large plastic bin.

-If you are looking to achieve as vibrant a color as possible (or dyeing nylon), use the stovetop method and double the amount of dye. This is where you find the largest pot you own and use it to dye your item(s).

-If you want to dye large items or are looking for the easiest dye method, then use the washing machine method.

supplies needed:

• Rit All-Purpose Dye in color you desire or mix a custom color. I used the liquid dye in the bottle in the color Denim Blue
• A bottle of Rit ColorStay Dye Setter
• Bucket, large pot or plastic bin
• Rubber gloves
• Tongs
• 1 cup salt
• 1 tsp dish detergent

Where to Find Rit Dye Custom Color Mixing Charts

I followed the directions on the Rit Dye website. They are so well written: How to Dye with Rit All-Purpose Dye. I also watched the video (shown below) to become familiar with the fabric dying process.

I had fabulous results. So much so that I went on to dye two pieces of white clothing in a brown color to wear now that fall will soon be here.

For a few dollars a bottle, dying fabric decor items like changing the color of pillow covers, drapes, towels, napkins and more is totally worth the effort.

How To Set Dye In Fabric

One question I have gotten after dying the pillow covers is how do you make sure the color won’t run or be blotchy? The answer is that you use salt or vinegar depending on the fabric and a teaspoon of dish detergent in the dye bath. These help the color dye evenly on the fabric.

Once I liked the deepness of the blue dye on my pillow covers, I emptied the dye bath and items from the plastic bin I used to dye the covers.

Then I filled the bin up again with warm water and added ColorStay Dye Fixative to the water and placed the items back into the mix for 20 minutes. The dye fixative is an easy-to-use solution designed to lock in color, keeping the fabric looking its best and brightest for the long run.

Taking the extra step in the dye process reduces bleeding, fading and even enhances the color of your project.

Once the items were done with the dying process, I placed the pillow covers in the washer with warm water and mild detergent to clean.

After washing, I hung the pillow covers to dry. Once dry, I pressed them with a warm iron and placed them back over the pillows on my sofa.

What I Would Not Dye?

Dying fabric on the stove, in a bucket or in your washing machine isn’t hard when dying small items like a pillow cover, shirt, a pair of sneakers, etc.

If you want to dye something larger like a comforter or duvet, it may take more effort and be a bit messier since there is a lot of fabric to dye.

After having great results with the pillow covers, I decided to dye a white dress I never wear to a cocoa brown. It came out fine, but I wasn’t expecting the thread on the hems and button holes to stay white.

The dress is cotton, but the thread must be a polyester blend that would need the DyeMore formula to change the color. The dress actually looks OK and I have gotten compliments on the dress, so even though the thread is still white, it kind of adds a stylish detail to the dress.

So if you think you want to try to dye something made of decorative fabric or a piece of clothing, be prepared for something like this to happen. Before dying, you can do a test on the fabric if you can find an inconspicuous area on the item to see how the dye will take.

If you are not happy with the way an item came out after the fabric is dry, I did learn that you can re-dye to darken colors and even use Rit dye color remover if you are not quite happy with the results.

Where to Buy Rit Dyes

I bought my dye on Amazon since they had a wide variety of all the colors to choose from. Hobby Lobby, Walmart, Target, grocery and crafts stores sell the dye as well. Buying it at one of these stores is very inexpensive, but I could only find a limited amount of colors at these stores. To find a store near you, see the Rit Dye Store Locator.

For More Fabric Dying Inspiration

For more fabric dying inspiration be sure to check out the Rit Dye website where you can learn a whole lot more.

You may not only find yourself surprised about what can be dyed and how to do it, but also inspired to change a decorative fabric item in your home.

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