The Colour is Gone!

[Muddypaws]

Yikes!  I have done about 8 batches of tie dye.  In my last two each has had 1-2 items that just --drained of colour.
Everything was prewashed (regular laundry soap), soaked in soda ash, dyed wet with Procion MX dye, cured for 24 hours, rinsed cold and tossed in the washer with Synthrapol.
And only certain items came out drained~ not even the same dye colour or dye batch.
The *only* unique factor in three of the four items is that they were different brand shirts than I usually use (one was the same brand, but on a hanger vs. the package of 4) and the fourth I have dyed 4-5 of them with no issues but this one lost the colour.
So I am thinking sizing left in them?  But one was a Dharma dyeable shirt. And it doesn't explain why two exact same shirts, same size and all had only one of them do this...
The only other variable is that the last two batches have had black dyed items (with salt in the dye) in the wash with them after untying. None of the faded items *used*black though.
Anyone?
I am freaking a little as the one is a part of a set of 7 for a family and it is whacked now.

L

[pburch]

How freshly mixed was your dye?

Sometimes a shirt labeled "100% cotton" isn't. I would not expect that to happen with a Dharma shirt, however.

Maybe some of the shirts missed getting soaked in soda ash. That would result in exactly what you saw.

Paula

[Muddypaws]

Actually ~ in the second instance the dye that was the big problem was NOT fresh (about three days old, kept cool and dark, though...) BUT it only caused a problem on two of eight things I used it on.

I did soak everything (that was my first thought, too) and prewashed it all.

Could it be a dye/age thing?

L

[pburch]

If the problem is a bad shirt (not the 100% cotton it was labeled as, or treated to be stain-resistant), then redyeing will not help. Otherwise, you should go ahead and redye. That will salvage the shirts, and will also do a little more trouble-shooting on what went wrong.

If a drop of soda ash somehow got into the dye bottle the first day, it will have spoiled even only three days later. If the dye was in neutral soluton with no soda ash contamination at all, it should certainly last at least a week or two if kept in a reasonably cool room.

Were there two buckets for soda-soaking the shirts? If so, one was not soda ash. Do you tie your shirts wet, with water, before soda soaking them? If so, several shirts somehow skipped the buckets. Did you prescour the shirts by washing with Synthrapol and soda ash, or whatever detregent you use plus soda ash? (The extra soda ash in prescouring is supposed to make it work better.)

There IS a reason, or possibly several reasons, why some of your shirts did not react with the dye, but you have to be calm and logical to figure out what it was.

Paula

[Muddypaws]

Thanks for your time.

I re-dyed it it to no better results.
I mixed fresh dye.
No soda ash could have gotten in the dyes as I mixed dyes before going near the soda ash and they are kept in a cool dark place, covered.
I tie dry and then soak so that I don't miss anything and I only have one bucket.
I pre-washed but did NOT use soda ash or synthrapol (never have) ~ so yes, it could be that the shirt is not as it says ( it is a RTD from Dharma, 100% cotton) and I didn't remove a stain protection or something.

I will start pre-washing with soda ash and a bit of synthrapol.

I this case, I am just going to send the set, and not charge the woman for this shirt (unfortunately it is *her* shirt), should I contact Dharma about the shirt?

Thanks again, this helps me walk through it and see the possible pitfalls.  I amjust glad this woman is a friend! LOL