Dyeing your own Floss...

Blackhat

Has anyone tried this? o_o I just got a bunch of plain white cotton floss on the cheap, and I'd like to try dyeing it somehow. I've heard of various at-home techniques, like using kool-aid or laundry dye, but I have no experience with anything like this. I don't need it to be archival or wash-proof, just put some color on it that won't rub into the fabric while I'm stitching.

So, do you know a good way to dye cotton floss? :o

BlueTanager

This is a quite old thread but wanted to give my 2 cents since it seems alive still:
-There's plenty dyes nowadays that will work well on cotton, so the floss can absolutely be dyed.
-It is advisable to wash first anything you plan on dying. Some industry made yarns/floss/threads have a coat that might not react well with the dye.
-Always test first on a small batch. Heat time, type of dye and the usage of mordant can change results drastically! Taking notes is a good idea!
-Try to dye as much as you'll need for your project: hand dying will hardly end up the same in a second batch, that's the nature of hand dying stuff.
-If the result is uneven, don't lose heart and treat it as a variegated. Even if it doesn't look the best it can absolutely surprise you on a project :kiss:

LunaBee

I have experience dyeing cotton. Plant-based fibers,  like cotton, need a different type of dye and a different mordant than animal-based fibers, like wool.
The best way is to use Procion fiber reactive dyes. You use soda ash as a mordant. Salt and urea can also be used to help the dye.
There are lots of resources on the internet about using procion dyes.

You can also use rit dyes, but they are not as colorfast.

htsear13

Following this thread

Whisper whisper

Thanks for sharing

Knitpurlsm

Thanks for the info!

manolimu

Thank you very much!

integra974love

Большое спасибо!

funshine

Good question

WiseOwl

I would like to  know about dyeing floss too.....

Blackhat

Side note: there is a post on here somewhere about dying fabric with watered-down acrylic paint; I have tried this with floss with poor results. The stiffening factor is good when you're doing fabric, but not floss. :(

cindymae

Well I would love to know how to do this as well, especially in many different colors!

Strawberry Cat

May I suggest a google search for "Dye cotton threads". It will give you many hits on different techniques.

Also, most techniques for dying knitting yarn can be used for cotton floss.

Blackhat

catsarecute replied at 2012-4-5 19:48

                               
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May I suggest a google search for "Dye cotton threads". It will give you many hits on different tech ...

I have done a few open searches, but there is so much info, I was hoping someone here would already have tried it and refined a method specifically for floss. The yarn methods, unfortunately, do not seem to work as well when the medium is floss... I think it has something to do with the mercerization treatment on floss threads, or perhaps with the overall tighter spin of the ply. Not sure. :c

Strawberry Cat

SpiesForTheMoon replied at 2012-4-6 01:48

                               
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I have done a few open searches, but there is so much info, I was hoping someone here would alread ...

You are correct about cotton floss not being as good as knitting yarn, of course. My bad. I have a mother whom has dyed yarn for years, and it does work with her techniques, but she gathers moss, grass, flowers and the likes for her yarn, and does everything "from scratch". I had her in mind when I wrote that. Again; my bad.

mechelle1

I do know that it is better to rinse in a vinegar bath after dyeing. that way it will not bleed onto your fabric. Red was always bad to bleed. I try not to have to wash my stitching...

quyd

Thank you for sharing :)

HollyBlue

Did you decide on a dying method?  I think it'd be interesting to hand dye for a single colour chart and make the hand-dye variagated.