Mending series
Part 3: dyeing a thrifted sweater
This is a quick post because it’s a fairly straightforward project - dyeing a wool sweater. I’m really pleased with how this project turned out, given it was a £3 charity shop sweater and a £5 pot of dye. It’s definitely worth experimenting with dyeing clothes, if you have clothing languishing because it’s the wrong colour. It’s a quick and cheap way to bring something back into rotation, whether it be from your wardrobe or a charity shop, that otherwise might have been neglected.
Wearing my newly dyed sweater to drink coffee beside the river, after the dogs have been swimming. Classic summer in Scotland outfit - shorts with a wool sweater.
The sweater in question was bought by my mother-in-law and is 100% wool. It’s originally made by Pringle, which is a good quality brand, but the shade of red was the wrong side of scarlet for me. Every time I wore it, I felt like it was wearing me, if you know what I mean? My preferred colour palate is more autumnal-leaning, so the reds I prefer are more on the burgundy end of the spectrum.
The original colour
One of my friends, who is used to working with wool, recommended using Jacquard acid dyes. These are dyes specifically formulated for silk, wool, and other protein fibres (as opposed to plant-based fibres, for which something like Dylon might be better. Side note: Dylon have a very cool upcycling guide here!). I ordered the smallest size - 14g - in the shade ‘burgundy’. The instructions are scant I would say, so there was some extrapolation required. Essentially though, you weigh your fabric and then follow the instructions for the volume of water to the weight of the dye. The solution needs to be kept at a steady temperature for 30 minutes, so a thermometer is helpful. You add an acid midway through, to fix the dye to the fibre by lowering the pH of the solution. I did not double check how much vinegar we had in the house before I started, so ended up panic using a bizarre combo of the dregs of a malt vinegar bottle and an apple cider vinegar. Still, it worked, and you can’t smell the vinegar at all.
The outcome is not significantly different from the original, but is different enough that I feel a lot more comfortable wearing it! It’s much more in my colour palate and goes nicely with several different options in my wardrobe. It’s fast becoming a workhorse, as the nights draw in and autumn is on the horizon.
In my limited experience of working with dyes, I would say:
make sure to prewash your fabric. I once dyed a cushion cover, only to find a gross stain fixed permanently into the fabric
consider whether the colour of the original item is practical to over dye. Generally, the rule is to dye from light to dark, so if you have a brown or navy item, you will struggle to dye it anything other than darker shades of those colours
similarly, normal colour rules apply. I once dyed a salmon pink sweater with navy blue, assuming because I was going from light to dark it would end up navy blue. Sadly, I ended up with purple, because pink/red + blue = purple
Having said that, I think dyeing clothing is a great tool in the sustainable wardrobe toolkit. You can refresh the colour of your jeans, or dye a sweater to a colour more fitting to your style. Let me know if you give it a go!
Looking to do some autumnal sewing? Check out my Etsy shop for some destashed wool fabric I’m selling, along with vintage Laura Ashley floral cotton and underwear elastics, all with free shipping to the UK!