Reinvent Domestic Textile through Dyeing

What does one do when domestic textiles such as clothes and apparels, bed sheets or curtains grow out of fashion, or simply old? While throwing these away or changing them with new ones are the alternatives most usually taken, one way to deal with them can be by reinventing them into something totally different, simply by the way of dyeing.

Again, while you can get these dyed at a local dyeing center, it is always interesting to do things on your own. Now, when you decide upon dyeing these textiles at home, you have more than one way of doing so. Let’s take a look at each of these.

Firstly, you can them using the Dylon Textile Dye, a permanent fabric dye that can be rather easily purchased from the market. You can them simply read the user instructions and use the recommended amount of the same, depending on the quantity of fabric that you wish to dye. You then need to wash the fabric in the washing machine. After which, you need to fill the drum of the machine with the dye, along with adding 500 gms of salt to the same. You can now put the already wet fabric in the drum, and wash it with water at room temperature. After the wash cycle is complete, wash the fabric yet again, but add detergent this time. Finally take the fabric out of the machine and let it dry normally in a cool dark place, away from direct sunlight.

In order to clean your washing machine, simply put some detergent in it and run it at room temperature, while it is empty.

In case, you do not want to use chemical dyeing, you can also opt for dyeing the textiles in a more natural way, using everyday ingredients from your kitchen. Most of these give a very vibrant colour when used fresh, although, the color given out of the plant or the fruit used may not be the same that they appear to be. Here’s a quick look at different colors that can be obtained from natural dyeing substances -

1. Pink - Red roses, pink roses, cherries, berries and skins of avocado
2. Brown - Tea, coffee, walnut hulls and acorns
3. Orange - Carrots and onion skins
4. Blue - Indigo(Neel), red cabbage, blueberries and black grapes
5. Green -Spinach, mint leaves, grass and peach leaves
6. Deep Red - Pomegranate, beet root and bamboo
7. Yellow - Marigold, sunflower petals, turmeric, and dandelion flowers
8. Deep Grey - Blackberries

Simply take any of these materials, for getting the color of your choice. You can then add them to double the quantity of water. Put this mix on a stove and let it simmer for an hour. Meanwhile in another pot you can soak the fabric that you want to dye in a large pot of salt solution, salt being in the ratio of 1:16, and let it simmer for an hour, after which you can carefully take out the textile and put it aside. Now that the dyeing solution is ready, pass it through a strainer, before finally dipping the fabric in the solution for a good 12 hours. And Voila! You have a whole new range of home textiles, just like that!