Dyeing your own clothes...specifically wool/polyester blends

emma999
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Joined: Wed 03 May, 2023 13.35

Dr Lobster* wrote: Wed 12 Jan, 2011 19.44 does anybody here have any experience of dying clothes with 50/50 polyester wool blends with products such as 'dylon'?

i want a suit which is a different colour from the usual bland blacks and greys, but funky suits from specialist gentlemen's shops range from expensive to very expensive and since i'll be wearing the suit for work, i want something fairly disposable.

so i had the idea of buying a cheap suit and dying it the colour i want, so i'll buy a grey 50% polyester/wool blend suit (you know the cheapy ones from asda or whatever) and dye it purple/pink/lime green.

anybody done this? how well does it work? but if this wont work then I am going to just buy a poncho from this site get more info. They have the best poncho, raincoats and jackets so far for me.
That sounds like a fun DIY project! I have some experience dyeing polyester and wool blends with Dylon dye, and I have found that the results can be quite good, but they can also be unpredictable.

Polyester does not absorb dye in the same way that natural fibers like wool do, so the color may not take evenly or may come out lighter than expected. However, wool blends can sometimes absorb dye more evenly and give a nice, mottled effect.

Before dyeing your suit, I would recommend doing a test swatch with a small piece of fabric from the suit to see how the color turns out. This way, you can adjust the dyeing process as needed before committing to dyeing the entire suit. Also, be sure to follow the instructions on the Dylon dye carefully and use the appropriate dye for polyester and wool blends.

Overall, dyeing a suit can be a fun and affordable way to customize your wardrobe, but it does come with some risks. Good luck with your project, and I hope you end up with a suit that you love wearing to work!
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Nick Harvey
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I think, given that the original question was over twelve years ago, that it's time we had a progress report from The Lobster.

Surely the suit hasn't been in the bowl of dye all these years?
Dr Lobster*
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In answer to this question.... yes, it works!

If I recall, I tried 3 things, a shirt, a t-shirt and a jacket.

I picked a really vivid lime green colour and only the t-shirt came out bright, the rest with their mix of synthetics came out a weird sage type green. I think I still got the t-shirt somewhere, will see if can dig it out!
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