Most of us here would advise you to return all those Rit all-purpose dye colors to the store, if possible, and then buy an easier-to-use, more intensely colored, longer-lasting dye.
All-purpose dye is hot water dye that fades quickly and bleeds in the laundry every time you wash it. You are supposed to hand wash your Rit-dyed shirts separately in cool water. Compare that to
fiber reactive dye, such as Procion MX dye, which last for years without fading, and (after the first two washings) can be thrown together in the washing machine with whites and washed in hot water without running!
If you want to get that
low water immersion dyeing effect with Rit dye, you will need a heatproof container into which the shirt fits tightly. Dissolve the dye—for black, use four times as much dye as the package says—in water, then pour it over the shirt. Make sure the shirt is barely covered with the dye and water. Place your container inside a larger cooking pot of water, and bring the water to a boil. Cover the pot and cook your shirt in the all-purpose dye for half an hour or longer. You can allow as little as five minutes for a pastel color, but deeper darker shades require more dye and more time. Wash out afterwards as recommended on the label. Do not reuse a container or cooking pot for food preparation after you have had Rit or any other textile dye in it.
All-purpose dye does not form a very firm attachment to the fiber. If you want the dye to stay dark, either never wash your shirt, or buy some Retayne
commercial dye fixative from your local quilting supply store or by mail order from a
good dye supplier. Order some Procion MX dye while you're at it. It's very easy to do low water immersion dyeing with Procion MX dyes.
In any case, use only 100% cotton shirts, not polyester/cotton blends. Neither Rit nor Procion dyes will stick to polyester. Also, avoid stain-resistant shirts, which repel dye as well as stains.
Paula
