Brilliant colors for quick and easy dye jobs in the washing machine or on the stove. Much better than typical "grocery store" dyes. The best way to dye fabrics and garments for longevity and brilliance is, hands down, using professional dyes like Dharma Procion Fiber Reactive Dyes, or Acid dyes for silk, and going through all the steps, chemicals and measuring. But, we don't always have the time and/or energy for doing things the 'long way'. Maybe we need a 'quickie' for a party or costume, or to renew a faded or stained garment, or, gosh darn it, we only want to dye one or a few garments and we don't want leftover dyes and chemicals. For a no muss-no fuss, basic dye job iDye fits the need perfectly! Just pre-wash your items, toss a packet into your washing machine** with hot water (or a large pot to simmer it on the stove for a bit), add some household salt or vinegar depending on the fabric, and that's it. Dyeing has never been easier. **Note that HE machines are notoriously hard to dye in - the water typically doesn't get hot enough for these dyes (~185°F / 85°C), and the fabric doesn't swim freely for even dyeing since the machines are meant to use super low water levels. iDye For Natural Fabrics comes in 30 colors for 100% natural fabrics such as cotton, silk, rayon, and linen. Each iDye packet contains 14 grams of pure dye powder (no fillers like grocery or drug store dyes) and for the lighter colors it will dye 2 to 3 pounds of fabric. For the black or darker colors or more intense color, Jacquard recommends that twice the amount of iDye be used and that you simmer garments on the stove to maintain a constant heat. For those of you who remember Deka L, this dye is the closest thing for sale in this country to that old favorite. Like Deka L, iDye is also what is called an "all purpose" dye. It is a combination of Direct Dye for plant fibers and Acid Dye for protein fibers. It has reasonable washfastness and lightfastness, is not as fade proof and color fast as Procion or pure Acid type dyes, but way better than the brands you will find at your local market whose names shall remain nameless. In our tests it worked very well on silk, cotton, and rayon. We did not get such great results on feathers or wool and still recommend Acid dye as the dye of choice for those. We also found that we got better results when we dyed each batch all the same type of fabric, ie. didn't mix rayons and cottons in the same dye bath. But we did get very even level results and pretty bright colors! We do recommend washing finished garments in cool water with like colors after the initial washout in hot water to get out the excess dye. One of the great things about iDye is that the packet dissolves in water, so there is no handling of messy dye powders or chemicals. Just throw the dye packet in the hot water, add household salt or vinegar, depending on your fabric, stir or agitate in your machine 30 minutes, then wash it out. It is the ultimate easy way to get color! iDye for Natural Fabrics are no longer available in 1 lb. size Also available in packets of iDye Poly for Synthetic Fabrics Conforms to ASTM D-4236. Keep out of reach of children and pets. Avoid inhalation and contact with eyes.
