BY DESIGN : A Few Tips to Dye By
“If you are tired of something beige, go ahead--dye it,” says Donna Hartman, supervisor of the wardrobe department for ABC. She has done many dye jobs in her career, and coloring a garment does not intimidate her.
Hartman darkens white shirts so they won’t glow on television, overdyes costumes to make them look old, and dyes shirts, tights and simple garments to match more elaborate costumes. Often she will dye yardage before the costumes are made.
“I would never do a jacket. I would rather turn that over to a professional. I know my capabilities,” she says. But she does offer tips on successful home dyeing:
* If the garment has never been laundered, wash it to remove all the sizing.
* Make sure the garment is soaking wet before you put it in the dye. Don’t just hold it under the tap, submerge it. This will ensure even absorption.
* Use the hottest water the fabric can tolerate. It is difficult to obtain primary colors unless you can boil the clothes. Even then, dyed-at-home colors fade. There is no way to seal in the color at home. But adding vinegar to the dye bath will hold the color a little better over a period of washings.
* After you dye the garment, put it through a rinse cycle until the water runs clear. Then, and only then, put it in your dryer.
* As soon as you finish dyeing, fill the washer with soap and bleach--at least two cups of bleach. While the washer fills, take a terry cloth rag and wipe up under the gasket, because dye will hide there. Rub the rag over the agitator, wipe the inside of the top, and if you have a filter pan, slosh the bleach water all over it. If you don’t get all the bleach out of the washer, it can be costly.
* If you have a couple of old towels, it’s a good idea to throw them in with the bleach water and run them through the wash cycle. They will pick up any stray drops of dye and help scrub the inside of the machine.
