KidsHappen Posted February 17, 2012 Share Posted February 17, 2012 We want to buy two chairs and ottomans but we would like them in purple. They don't have purple but they do have white and it is the cheapest ones. I figured that I could buy those and then dye them purple. I am not really particular as to what exact shade we get as long as it has even coverage. I wa thinking that I could soak them in my tub and then washer them in the commercial washers at the laundry mat, probably twice. Do you think that this will work? If not, any other ideas? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Desert Rat Posted February 17, 2012 Share Posted February 17, 2012 What are the slip covers made of? That would be a deciding factor. If they are mostly cotton, I would use RIT dye in the color that you like and soak them in a big tub outside. I wouldn't use my bathtub because it would be a big mess. I would probably just try one first and see how it turned out. The only downside to that might be that the colors might vary a bit. Good luck! I used mustard to make cool swirlie patterns on plain sheets that I hung a curtains. I'm all for trying different things. I hope it works! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Desert Rat Posted February 17, 2012 Share Posted February 17, 2012 And if you used a smaller tub out back, you could use your own washer. Just run an empty bleach cycle afterwards. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tap Posted February 17, 2012 Share Posted February 17, 2012 Contact dharma trading company with the fabric content information. They are very knowledgeable and friendly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Farrar Posted February 17, 2012 Share Posted February 17, 2012 (edited) If they're that thick white canvas, then I have some experience with this. It was soooo much easier than I expected. I boiled as much water as I possibly could (as in, every single big pot covering the stove). I poured it along with scalding water from the kitchen spray faucet into a big tub - but not a huge one, just one of those big plastic storage tubs. Then I put in the RIT - just the regular powder stuff. I wanted deep red chairs so I used red and a little bit of brown. Everything I had read said that it was nearly impossible to get a nice, dark red with a homemade dye job, but the covers look AMAZING. I was floored that they came out as well as they did and have kept their color so well (I did it almost two years ago). So, I say go for it. :D ETA: This is the one I dyed. And it has the same fabric as this ottoman, which I also happen to have. Edited February 17, 2012 by farrarwilliams Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
plansrme Posted February 17, 2012 Share Posted February 17, 2012 The couple who do the Young House Love blog dyed some Ikea slipcovers for their dining room chairs. She had a lot of info on there about the dye and her technique. They were apple green, I believe. I would link to the blog if I were not on my phone, but I am sure you can find it. Terri Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KungFuPanda Posted February 17, 2012 Share Posted February 17, 2012 Most laundromats prohibit any kind of dying. I wouldn't risk getting a bill for their machines. For about $12 you can buy an old fashioned galvanized washtub at a hardware store and just use that for soaking and rinsing. Dispsable plastic gloves would probably be a good idea too. If you look on the Ikea website it should tell you exactly what the white slipcovers are made of. You can use that information to decide how well the dye might adhere. I wish you luck. It's a great idea! They have ome chairs I want but the colors are wrong. It never occurred to me to dye the white ones. I may have to steal that. Heck, it might be what THEY do. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OrganicAnn Posted February 17, 2012 Share Posted February 17, 2012 If they turn out to be wool, then google dying wool with kool aid. It is really cool. Google it anyway, it is just cool. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DarlaS Posted February 17, 2012 Share Posted February 17, 2012 Contact dharma trading company with the fabric content information. They are very knowledgeable and friendly. :iagree: I've done lots of dyeing with the Procion dyes for cotton. Great stuff! Pretty cheap too. I have a frontloader, so I used a bit less than they suggest. If it's not dark enough, just run them again. And make sure you do them all in the same load. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
justasque Posted February 17, 2012 Share Posted February 17, 2012 Contact dharma trading company with the fabric content information. They are very knowledgeable and friendly. Dharma. They will have what you need and tell you how to use it. Assuming it's cotton, you'll probably want the Procion dyes. Here's the instructions. You might want to dye some t-shirts first to get the hang of it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KidsHappen Posted February 18, 2012 Author Share Posted February 18, 2012 If they're that thick white canvas, then I have some experience with this. It was soooo much easier than I expected. I boiled as much water as I possibly could (as in, every single big pot covering the stove). I poured it along with scalding water from the kitchen spray faucet into a big tub - but not a huge one, just one of those big plastic storage tubs. Then I put in the RIT - just the regular powder stuff. I wanted deep red chairs so I used red and a little bit of brown. Everything I had read said that it was nearly impossible to get a nice, dark red with a homemade dye job, but the covers look AMAZING. I was floored that they came out as well as they did and have kept their color so well (I did it almost two years ago). So, I say go for it. :D ETA: This is the one I dyed. And it has the same fabric as this ottoman, which I also happen to have. Yep, this is exactly what I want to do. Thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KidsHappen Posted February 18, 2012 Author Share Posted February 18, 2012 Most laundromats prohibit any kind of dying. I wouldn't risk getting a bill for their machines. For about $12 you can buy an old fashioned galvanized washtub at a hardware store and just use that for soaking and rinsing. Dispsable plastic gloves would probably be a good idea too. If you look on the Ikea website it should tell you exactly what the white slipcovers are made of. You can use that information to decide how well the dye might adhere. I wish you luck. It's a great idea! They have ome chairs I want but the colors are wrong. It never occurred to me to dye the white ones. I may have to steal that. Heck, it might be what THEY do. I was just going to dye and rinse here and then wash at the laundry mat and then run a load of bleach. I have done that before and it worked well. I might would be able to run all the pieces through my wassher individually but I am not sure. Than I would alway run a load of blues after that. The slipcovers are machine washable white cotton so I don't think that they would be a problem. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
justasque Posted February 19, 2012 Share Posted February 19, 2012 There's stuff called Synthrapol that's designed to grab any extra dye from the fabric, so that at the end of the post-dye wash cycle all residual dye (fugitive dye) is gone. Dharma carries it; a little goes a long, long way. Well worth the small investment. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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