Hi, I got my daughter 3 skirts for school but the school says they are the wrong color blue. I need to have them navy blue. The uniform skirts don't fit her well at all. These have elastic waist and since it is still hot, she really wants to wear skirts. I want to try dying one and see how it comes out. So, if you have dyed clothing, what brand dye did you use? I know there is RIT but so many others as well. I have read about Dylon and wonder if any one has used it. My daughter is 8 so a bottle or packet of RIT should be able to do 2 or 3 skirts but I want to do one first to see how it comes out. The skirt itself is cotton but the shorts underneath are more of a blend.
Oh, and I plan to use a dish bucket vs the washer.
Well, I totally for got to buy the dye today but heading to Michael's tomorrow. The skirt is all cotton and shorts says 95 percent with 5 spandex. The school is flexible but Navy blue bottoms. The skirt is too light. You cannot see the shorts under the skirt when walking. Let you know how it turns out.
How flexible is the school? How confident is your daughter? They are called uniforms because everyone is supposed to be dressed alike. I would just get the standard issue uniform and add some elastic inside the waist to help them fit better before trying to dye something else to match.
Best
F. B.
Funny you ask about this because we were just dying some scrub tops over the weekend. We used RIT in a 5 gallon bucket and then set the dye with white vinegar. Worked great because the tops were 100% cotton.
In your case the skirt will come out great but since the shorts underneath are a blend they will take the dye unevenly. This shouldn't really be a problem. If it is you can always cut them off and buy a couple pair of bike shorts for her to wear. I use to work in a city and had to walk a couple blocks to get from the bus to the building. I use to wear bike shorts under my skirts and dresses after when I called 'the unfortunate wind gust on the plaza'. Windy day, full skits, not a good combination made worse by meeting the boss on the way to the office and him decided we should walk together. UGH.
I always had great results with RIT. make sure the water is as hot as it can be, that ends to help with the colorfastness. And I would recommend air drying them to help preserve the colorfastness as well. Best of luck and have fun. :-) S.
RIT has worked well for me in the past. I just followed the directions and even I could do it :)
I would test the one first just to get the timing right for how dark you want the skirt to be. I agree the shorts underneath might not dye the exact same if it's a blend. Hard to say. I died all cotton shorts and they dyed uniformly.
Good luck :)
Try the RIT and do it absolutely according to the directions. I have a plastic tub with handles that I can lift even with the liquid and garments in it. I do the hot water and such then sit and watch TV for a while and stir the stuff the whole time. It has always worked for me.
BUT the fibers of the garment will or won't take the dye according to what they are. 100% cotton takes color. Fabric that is poly/cotton? Only the cotton will take the color so you end up with weird looking results.
If it were me I'd just go buy new skirts or buy some navy fabric and cut some rectangles out, sew up the sides, turn down the waist, run some elastic, then hem them to her knees and be done.
I know nothing about dyeing, but if you need to find new uniforms, try looking at Frenchtoast.com
Funny name, but they have good clothes. You can also find a store that carries their clothes. I did that when I needed uniforms for my kids, but the store had a different color than our school used. I went by size - tried on the clothes at the store and then ordered online in the right color.
The price of the clothes on Frenchtoast.com is so much cheaper than the big department stores...
