DYLON Hand Dye 50g – Permanent Fabric Dye for Smaller Projects, Delicates & Creative Colour Refreshing
DYLON Hand Dye 50g
Create rich, long-lasting colour without using your washing machine. DYLON Hand Dye is ideal for smaller garments, natural-fibre fabric, selected fine fabrics and creative techniques such as tie-dye, batik, dip-dye and shibori.
Each 50g sachet colours up to approximately 250g of suitable dry fabric to full intensity, giving you greater hands-on control over the finished effect.
More creative control, one piece at a time
Hand dyeing makes it easy to work with smaller quantities and manipulate the fabric during the colour process. Use it for an even all-over shade or explore controlled creative effects.
Refresh
Restore depth to suitable faded garments, cotton accessories and small home-textile projects.
Reimagine
Move pale fabric to a new, deeper shade and give an existing item a completely different personality.
Create
Experiment with tie-dye, dip-dye, shibori, resist techniques, colour blocking and fabric crafts.
Choose your colour
Select the required shade using the product options above. Each colour includes a reference number to help identify the correct shade.
Screen colours are illustrative only. Fibre content, starting colour, fabric weight and dye-bath movement will affect the finished shade. Current availability is shown in the product options above.
How to use DYLON Hand Dye
Read the instructions supplied inside the sachet before beginning. Protect your hands and work surface, and make sure the fabric has enough space to move freely in the dye bath.
Weigh and pre-wash
Weigh the fabric while dry. Wash it thoroughly, even if new, to remove dirt and invisible finishes. Leave it clean and damp.
Dissolve the dye
Wearing rubber gloves, dissolve the complete 50g sachet in approximately 500ml of warm water.
Prepare the dye bath
Fill a suitable bowl or stainless-steel sink with approximately six litres of warm water at about 40°C.
Add 250g of salt
Stir 250g of salt into the warm water until dissolved. Add the dye solution and mix thoroughly.
Immerse and stir
Fully immerse the damp fabric. Stir continuously for 15 minutes, paying attention to folds and seams.
Continue for 45 minutes
Leave the fabric in the dye bath for another 45 minutes, stirring regularly to encourage even coverage.
Rinse thoroughly
Rinse in cold water until the water runs clear, then wash in warm water using your usual detergent.
Dry carefully
Dry away from direct sunlight and strong heat. Wash the item separately during its first washes.
Weigh before you dye
One complete 50g sachet dyes up to approximately 250g of suitable dry fabric to full intensity. This may be enough for two lightweight T-shirts, several small accessories or a similar-weight project.
Use additional complete sachets for a larger dry fabric weight. Do not divide or save an opened sachet if you require predictable colour strength.
Check the fibre content first
DYLON Hand Dye reacts with dyeable fibres in the fabric. It will not colour every material, and blended fabrics will usually produce a lighter shade.
Full colour intensity
Cotton, linen and viscose provide the strongest colour uptake and the closest result to the shade shown on the packaging.
Lighter results
Wool, silk and low-synthetic cotton or viscose blends can produce lighter shades. Follow the care label and test delicate fabric before dyeing.
Will not dye successfully
Fully synthetic polyester, acrylic, nylon, Lycra and spandex will not absorb this dye. Avoid waterproof, stain-resistant, coated or specially finished fabrics.
Important correction for nylon and Lycra
DYLON’s current official fibre guide classifies nylon, Lycra and spandex as synthetic fibres that will not hold DYLON domestic fabric dye. They should not be listed as suitable fabrics for this product.
Your original fabric colour becomes part of the result
DYLON adds colour; it does not remove the colour already present. Always think of the starting fabric shade and the selected dye as two colours being mixed together.
White, cream and pale fabric give you the greatest control. Dyeing to a deeper shade generally provides the most predictable result.
Blue dye applied over red fabric may create purple. Yellow over blue may move towards green rather than yellow.
Prints, bleach marks, stains, worn areas and contrasting fibres can remain visible or absorb the dye differently.
Creative projects to try
All-over colour
Give a small cotton garment or piece of natural-fibre fabric a complete colour transformation.
Tie-dye
Fold, twist or bind suitable pale fabric to create patterned areas of colour and resist.
Dip-dye
Control how far the fabric enters the bath to create a gradual colour transition.
Shibori
Explore stitched, folded and compressed resist techniques on suitable natural fibres.
Batik-style projects
Combine the dye with a suitable resist technique to create lines, shapes and patterned areas.
Colour refresh
Restore depth to faded cotton accessories, lightweight clothing and suitable home textiles.
Costumes and crafts
Build custom shades for textile art, costumes, dolls, accessories and small creative pieces.
Fabric sampling
Test a new colour or technique on a manageable amount of fabric before scaling up.
What you will need
- One complete DYLON Hand Dye sachet
- 250g of salt
- Rubber or protective gloves
- Approximately six litres of warm water
- A bowl, bucket or stainless-steel sink
- A separate container for dissolving the dye
- A stirring utensil dedicated to dyeing
- Protection for surrounding surfaces
- A scale for weighing the dry fabric
Synthetic stitching may stay its original colour
Many cotton garments are assembled with polyester thread. The main fabric may dye successfully while the seams, labels, zips, buttons and decorative stitching remain close to their original colour.
Protect your work area
Wear gloves and avoid spilling dye onto porous surfaces. Plastic containers may stain. Keep dye and dyeing equipment away from food preparation areas and follow the safety information supplied with the product.
Helpful advice from Direct Sewing
Unsure whether your fabric is suitable? Direct Sewing can help you understand fibre content, starting colour and which DYLON product best matches your project.
Direct Sewing Machines & Supplies
Visit us:
138 Railside Avenue, Henderson, Auckland 0612
Phone: (09) 838 8674
Mobile: 021 274 2910
Email: info@directsewing.co.nz