Over-dying denim?

[aeboaz]

Hi everyone,

I have a denim skirt that is lighter than I would like, and I'm wondering if anyone's had any experience with dyeing denim?  I would like it to still look like denim (IOW I'm not wanting to try any funky-colored over-dyeing stuff, just blue), just more like dark denim.  Does anyone have any suggestions re: colors, etc.?

Thanks in advance!
Ann

[ktaltre]

I have dyed denim by carefully scrunching the garment into a mesh laundry bag and then immersing the bag into a dye bath. I put a rock on the bag to hold it down and let it batch. Sometimes I'll dye the same piece two or three times, different colors of dye or different shades of the same dye. Lightweight denim and twill makes wonderful subtle designs.
k. taltre

[deb]

As long as it's basic cotton (or mostly cotton), I'd imagine it'd be fine. (I've been seeing some strange fabric blends in stores lately.  ) I've done some denim with actual tie-dye bands of color (not stripes per se, as the fabric was kind of heavy for that), but haven't yet done all one color.

If I wanted all one uniform color, I'd probably do the soda ash soak and then use the squirt bottles same as I would for tie-dyeing, 'cause then I can see the saturation and make sure I haven't missed any spots that I have to go back and overdye yet again later. Myself, I've had spotty (no pun intended, but hey, it works!) lock with scrunching.

[aeboaz]

Thanks for the replies, I appreciate everyone's input!  I failed to ask one critical question, however, and that was whether anyone had any suggestions as to what specific color(s) of dye to use to get a dark denim look.  Also, I'm interested in uniform color, not a tiedyed result.

Thanks (again)!
Ann

[deb]

The good news is that since denim itself can come in so many "denim blues," you have lots of leeway when choosing a shade. I've had good luck with a mixture of medium blue and navy, and sometimes I'll add some pearl gray if I want a toned-down feel to my blue.

For a solid color, I'll still use a squirt bottle, and I'll still lay the garment out on a towel just as if I'm tie-dyeing it. I just find that I can see a lot more clearly what's being dyed and what's being missed while the color is going on the fabric.

[steve]

Thanks for the replies, I appreciate everyone's input!  I failed to ask one critical question, however, and that was whether anyone had any suggestions as to what specific color(s) of dye to use to get a dark denim look.  Also, I'm interested in uniform color, not a tiedyed result.

Thanks (again)!
Ann

I'd recommend blue MX-2G. Cobalt Blue--aka Mixing blue @prochem