Frugal Living

Save Money Dyeing Clothes and Fabrics

I was checking out at Jo Ann Fabrics today. The woman in line with me looked at the box of dye I was holding and asked what is that and what do you use it for? I have talked about dye before but thought maybe some of our new readers need me to mention it again. I forget that many people don’t have a clue on how to use dye or even that the average person can use it. It is one of those things that is thought of as having strange magical powers and if you aren’t careful it might explode or, even worse, change your favorite red top to purple.

Believe it or not, years ago when I was growing up the average home had a small collection of several different colors of dyes on the pantry shelf. It was used all of the time. In those days, people were more of the mind that you don’t throw anything out, so to make those red towels look nice in your purple bathroom, you would dye them to match. You wouldn’t dream of getting rid of them and buying more just to make everything match.

Now, if a pair of pants fade we just toss them or wear them faded. But it really doesn’t need to be that way. I bought myself a box of denim blue dye. I have 2 pairs of shorts and 2 pairs of jeans which are in perfect condition. They are just badly faded. I will dye them together with some faded navy socks and they will look like new. The next time I go, I will get a box of black dye and dye my black jeans, t-shirts and socks.

I figure if I can’t wear the item except around the house anyway what do I have to lose if I ruin it? …although it really is hard to ruin anything.

I also use dye with my fabric. If I have some really ugly fabric, I just toss it in with a color of dye or tea dye and usually come up with something really great.

If you need three yards of orange or green fabric for a Halloween costume but you only have three yards of white muslin, cream fabric or even an old sheet, just dye them orange and then make your costume. The dye is much cheaper than buying new fabric.

If you have some ugly brown fabric but need a black cape, dye the brown fabric black. Maybe you already have a brown cape but need a black one. Just dye the cape, dress or whatever you are using for a costume the color you need.

Dye is so easy to use. I would start simply so you can get used to working with the dye. You might try dyeing something like black socks and t-shirts, which you would probably throw out anyway because they are faded.

Dye comes in liquid or powder form and they both work fine. I like them both equally as well. Follow the instructions on the package, which usually say to dissolve the dye, dump it in the machine with some salt, wash and dry. It is about as easy as doing a load of laundry. You can also hand dye things if you don’t have a machine.

If you are throwing those pants away because they are faded, try dyeing them and see what happens. Dye isn’t expensive. I use my Jo Ann Fabrics coupon and get it half price for about $1.25. You can get it at Wal-Mart and even some dollar stores or grocery stores.

      -Jill

Note: You can also mix the dye in a cup or two of water (depending on how dark you want it) and use it as a stain for wood things, like furniture. You don’t need to mix the liquid to use as a stain.