The guide with steps and advice

Linen is a noble material that lends itself well to dyeing and you can dare all the transformation projects on many parts. However, follow our few advice on the choice of products and the success process.

Why dye a linen textile?

Often, linen is sold in natural or pastel shades and you may want a completely different color for your sheets, your curtains, a linen bag or a garment that you no longer consider fashionable. The dye is a great way to color your environment without having to buy everything!

It also allows Revive the tarnished colors Due to the many washes, hide halos or spots. In short, a new color or a revived color is an ideal way to give your textiles a little boost!

Dyeing a linen textile is also a great way of Customize your clothesYour bed linen, sheets or decoration items in your image. You will be originality because no one will have the same room as you!

Is linen easy to dye?

THE natural fabrics are more receptive to dyeing that their synthetic counterparts. Here are some of the natural fabrics commonly used and their characteristics in dyeing.

We note that linen is a little more difficult to dye than cotton, silk or wool due to its resistant fibers. He lets himself be done, for magnificent results, whether you choose a natural dye made at home or synthetic dye in the trade.

• Cotton : Cotton is one of the easiest to dye fabric. It absorbs color well and offers a wide range of colors.
• Silk : Silk is a delicate and elegant fabric. It reacts well to vegetable dyes and natural dyes.
• Wool : Wool is also easy to dye. It offers a beautiful color depth and a warm texture.
• Linen : Lin absorbs the dye well, and it tends to give softer and subtle colors.
• Hemp : Hemp is robust and reacts well to natural dyes. It offers a rustic texture.

In general, synthetic tissues are less receptive to dye than natural fibers. Synthetic tissues that are difficult to dye mainly include:

• Polyester: due to its chemical composition, the polyester is resistant to the dye.
• Acrylic: This synthetic material does not take color well.
• Acetate: also difficult to dye.

The steps to dye a linen fabric

Fabric preparation

Above all dye testing, proceed to washing of your linen fabric. If it is old, it has already been washed and it will pass without problem with a cycle at 30 or 40 degrees. If it is new, think of check And read our advice for washing linen fabrics, whether by hand or machine.

Also check over the entire surface of the fabric that there are no spots or brands. If this is the case, you must try to make them disappear before doing the tincture of the fabric.

If you tend to a stain, there are strong risks that it remains with the new color! In case it happens to you, here is something: you can embroider a word or a pattern on the stain and it will become invisible! In addition, a pretty embroidery will add an additional touch of personality to your article!

Sewing followers know that it is of course also possible to sew a part to hide a stain, but it depends on the type of textile you want to transform.

Do not use a softener that would remain in the fibers. Anyway, linen does not need it since it is more and more soft with each washing!

Choice of dyeing

Natural dye vs synthetic dye: you choose!

Synthetic dye

Opt for a dye specially Designed for natural tissues like linen. You should know that synthetic dyes contain chemicals which are not necessarily very good for you or for the environment. They are however suitable for the type of fabric indicated, easy to use and offer a very satisfactory quality of dyeing as soon as you follow the instructions for use.

Synthetic dyes also offer large color ranges, With in particular bright and warm colors, and the colors are designed so as not to discolor over time.

Among this type of dye, you can also choose between the liquid or powder version.

THE liquid taints are really practical: ready to use, they are already dosed and you do not have a mixture or a clever dosage to perform.

They apply directly to the fabric that you can dip in a basin containing the product, or paint with a large brush. They offer good coverage in terms of color, especially for dark shades and lively colors.

THE Powder dyes ask a little more handling. The powder must be mixed with water, which can be an advantage as a drawback.

You choose the intensity of the shade yourself according to the amount of powder used, but you should also dose.

Namely: sold in large quantities, they are very suitable for large fabrics.

Natural dye

As its name suggests, natural dye comes from nature. This would obviously be ideal to be able to use this Ecological option impacting with Plant raw materialsBut the sustainability of colors is unfortunately not as important as that of synthetic dyes.

On the other hand, it is also more difficult, if not impossible to obtain ranges of very varied colors (and especially the bright colors) with natural products.

Safety test

Ideally, whatever the type of dye chosen, you will proceed to a color test On a fabric of the same quality before tackling your full room. It is indeed important to visualize the rendering of the colors and the way in which the fabric will absorb the colorful pigments.

You can test several shades or the same color on several fabrics by testing. Take pieces of small fabric and plastic trays for your comparative tests. The test is essential, because once your linen fabric is complexed, there is no return possible!

Preparation of the dye

Follow the imanufacturer’s nstructions To prepare the dye. Depending on the product purchased, they can be different. So you will have to (or not) mix the dye with cold or lukewarm water and add (or not) different additives: vinegar or salt, which are used to fix the colors.

If you are a follower of 100 % nature, you can prepare your dyes yourself! Just draw around you from the plants. Finally, “it is enough” … We think it is however necessary to know a little to get into this approach!

Perhaps there are lessons near you or online, which you could follow before you start?

In any case, it is essential to carry out tests on a small piece of fabric before you embark on the transformation of your dress into a favorite linen, the sublime tablecloth of your grandmother or the living room curtains!

Using natural ingredients such as plants, fruits and bark, you can create unique, ecological and lively colors for your fabrics.

Here are some ideas with raw materials of plant origin:

Black tea: for brown and beige tones.

1. Boil 5 liters of water in a pot.
2. Add 20 sachets of black tea.
3. Remove the pot from the fire and let cool.
4. Immerse the linen in the tea solution to obtain brown tones.

Turmeric: For lively yellows.

1. Mix 4 tablespoons of turmeric powder with hot water to form a paste.
2. Immerse the linen in the turmeric paste for yellow nuances.

Bloods: for bruises and purple.

1. Boil blueberries in water for about 30 minutes.
2. Filter the liquid and immerse the linen for blue and purple tones.

Onion: for orange tones.

1. Boil onion peels in water for 1 hour.
2. Use the liquid to dye the linen in orange.

Spinach: For sweet greens.

1. Boil spinach in water for 30 minutes.
2. Immerse the linen to get mild greens.

Flip -flop

Immerse the linen fabric in the dye. Stir up for a uniform colorBy checking that the fabric is completely soaked in the liquid.

For small rooms, you can do it in a basin, in a sink or in the kitchen sink. For large rooms, head for the bathtub or you can use the washing machine, which will be more effective in stirring the fabric in all directions so that color pigments are fixed in the fabric fiber. Do not forget to take an empty tour of the machine then, so that the drum is perfectly rinsed

You should know that the more you leave the fabric in the dye, the more intense the color. Follow the indications on the product used.

Please note, the fabric is clearer when it is dry, take it into account to determine the right color intensity.

For natural dyes, it is necessary to use a fixative. You can thus place your complexion fabric, still damp, in your fixer bath for an hour, before rinsing.

Fixed “house”: 1 dose of white vinegar for 4 doses of cold water.

Salt is also a very good color fixer.

Rinsing

Have you got the shade of your dreams? Take the fabric out and rinse it with cold water to remove excess dye.

You can then wash it by hand with a soft soap to fix the color, then let it dry in the open air, but out of the sun.

For even more personalization of your linen article, whether it is a garment, a bag or a room for the house, you can customize it with details of your vintage: sewing of ribbons or pearls of seams: buttons, stripes, biases, lace, colored embroidery … and if you do not know how to sew, it is always possible to customize pieces of clothes or cushions Accessories above or using textile felts.

You will find something to have fun in the supplies for creative hobbies and the ideal result will be the one you like!

To your needles to achieve a real work of art!