how come every time i tye dye my colors fade?

[stendhal_syndrome]

after I rinse out all the extra dye they fade to a pastel color. what can I do to stop this?

[tiedyejudy]

Here are a couple of questions:  are your garments 100% cotton, or is there a synthetic fiber mixed with a natural one?
What kind of dye are you using?  Procion MX is best if you are dyeing natural fibers, such as cotton or silk
Are you using soda ash solution to activate the dyes?  If so, how much and how long do you allow it to 'batch' before you rinse out?
I find if I use Procion MX, 100% cotton, and either pre-soak with soda ash solution or add after I apply the dye and let it set for awhile, that I generally get very vivid colors.  Most of my dyeing is done using low water immersion, which is great for scrunch dyeing.  If you are tying patterns, a lot of dyers use direct application dyeing, in which case they often pre-soak in soda ash solution, squeeze out the excess, then either dye immediately or let the garment 'air dry' for awhile to reduce the amount of liquid, which can cause dilution when the dyes are applied.
Lastly, when you rinse/wash your dyed garment, are you using synthrapol to neutralize the soda ash solution?
Hopefully, the answer to these questions will help you resolve your fading problem, but keep asking questions if they don't!
Judy

[pburch]

Another page saying pretty much the same things as Judy:
Why did my tie-dyes come out too pale?

The number-one cause of problems is using Rit dye. The number-two cause is using polyester blend or stain-resistant shirts.

-Paula

[Diane]

I am having this same problem, and its driving me crazy. I bought ten shirts to tie dye with my son while he is visiting. They are 100% cotton Fruit of the Loom. First off...I am not new to dyeing. I have a successful dyeing business but I dye mainly cotton threads (which come out beautifully) and various silk fabrics.

I first soak the shirts in soda ash water for over 30 minutes (second time I even added extra soda ash). . I used concentrated procion dye mixes. 1 tsp to 1/2 cup water except black which was 3 tsp to 1/2 c water. I wrung out the shirts but they were still wet.
I did direct application and let the shirts sit for around 20 hours. They turned out horrible! Pastels for all of them. My dyes are not old. Everything seemed to be optimal but they still turned out bad. This is two batches that turned out the same.

What am I doing wrong? Any help would be appreciated. I am at a complete loss.

[pburch]

Maybe you should use more dye. I use four teaspoons of Procion MX type dye powder per cup of urea water, except for black. For black, I use 8 teaspoons of dye powder per cup of urea water.

For a lot more details, I wrote a page on this, How much Procion MX dye should I use?.

Mercerized cotton comes out more intense in color than unmercerized cotton. Are the cotton threads you dye mercerized?

Paula

[Diane]

they are just plain embroidery thread Paula. I was unaware if they are mercerized. Thanks for the heads up on the dye amounts. The amount I use now works wonderful on the other things I use making gorgeous deep hues. Maybe the t-shirts just need a bit more for the oomph. I am also questioning if my water is capable. I just moved here and have heard of complaints of lots of calcium in the water. I just went to the store and bought some bottled water. I am going to try a bath with that water and stronger dyes and see what my results are. I also dont use Urea but from what I understand, if I keep my items wet then the urea isnt really needed? I never realized that what I considered simple tie dye would turn into such a learning lesson

[pburch]

A lot of embroidery thread is mercerized, so maybe yours is. Rayon dyes like mercerized cotton, too, nice and intense.

Hard water certainly can dim your colors. If the distilled water works for you, order some water softener (sodium hexametaphosphate) next time you order dyes, since it's less trouble and works very well for high levels of calcium or magnesium. (Not so well for iron.)

You're right about not needing urea if you keep the dyes moist another way.

Paula

[Diane]

Thank you Paula for the advice. I knew that rayon and mercerized cotton would dye vivid. I'm just surprised I am getting such vivid hues on silk and not on the cotton. I am doing a new bath tomorrow and mixing up some stronger dyes. If it doesnt work then, than I am truly stumped!

[tiedyejudy]

Hi, Diane.  Two things came to mind as I read your post: how wet are the shirts after you have wrung them out from the soda ash solution?  I generally pre-tie my garments before soaking, then let them sit for a day or so after squeezing out excess solution, then apply my dyes for direct application. Otherwise, the excess solution can dilute the dyes.  Also, how warm was the area where you batched the dyed shirts?  And did you wrap in plastic before batching?  Oh, and did you pre-wash the shirts to remove any sizing or brighteners before you soda soaked and dyed?  Hope you can get to the bottom of this!
Judy   

[Diane]

sorry but I had to put my dyeing on hold. You bring up some good points Judy. I will write an update as soon as I re-dye

[Diane]

Just wanted to say, whatever I did fixed it and my last batch turned out fantastic. Unfortunately I changed several things so I'm not sure which one did the trick. I didnt want to take chances though as the shirts were for my son and we were leaving on vacation two days later. I am happy to say he is the proud owner of 8 new tie dyes! I would load a photo but Im not sure how