Dying Fabric – The Easy Way to Dye Fabric at Home

I love a good upcycling project, and our lounge is in a desperate need of reupholstering! In order to save money on expensive upholstery fabric, I picked up two large canvas drop sheets at my local hardware store. They were beige, but I had already imagined the sofa being lovely light grey… I had no choice, but to attempt dying fabric for the first time ever!

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Dying Fabric at Home

I had no idea how easy dying fabric at home was, until I tried it myself!! All you need is your washing machine! There are many different dye brands, but after some online research, I chose to use satchels of Jacquard iDye for natural fabrics because I was working with canvas drop sheets. If you are working with Polyester or Nylon, you’ll need to use the iDye Poly range designed for synthetic fabrics.

Step One: Fabric and Dye Preparation

The fabric you’re going to dye needs to be wet and free from any factory residues. To achieve that, put it through the quickest wash your machine can do, without any detergent. In my case that was a 20 minute “Quick Wash”. In that time, prepare the dye according to packet instructions. Since I was dying canvas, I used natural fabric dye and salt water as that’s what the packet said to do. For silks you’d be adding vinegar instead of salt.

Step Two: The Dying Process

Once the quick wash finishes, don’t take the fabric out. You’ll now be pouring the dye in and setting your washing machine on the longest, hottest wash it can do. I turned the machine on and waited until I heard it intaking water. That’s when I pressed pause. I opened the detergent compartment and using a funnel, I poured the prepared dye in first, followed it with the prepared salt mixture, and finally followed that with a kettle full of boiled water. Then I ‘unpaused’ the washing machine to let it continue with its water intake and complete the hot wash. I followed that order and added the kettle of boiled water to make sure the plastic of my detergent dispenser didn’t get stained by the dye, and I am happy to report that it worked! My machine is stain free after dying two lots of fabric!

Step Three: Finishing Touches

Once the hottest wash finishes, run a cold water wash with a mild detergent. That’s it! You’ve dyed your fabric! Hang or tumble dry the fabric and enjoy the new amazing colour you’ve chosen for it! Iron if needed!

Here is the glorious result – straight out of the dryer!

And a close up of the grain and colour:

Enjoy dying your fabric at home! I would absolutely love to hear about your project and how you went in the comments section! Just remember to pick the right dye type for the fabric you have (natural, or poly)!

❤

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