Color Changing Pants by the Season

SUPPLIES & TOOLS:

• Rit All-Purpose Liquid Dye: Teal, Golden Yellow and Scarlet Used Here
• Rit Color Remover
• Rit ColorStay Dye Fixative (recommended)
• Pants
• Large Container for Dyeing
• Measuring Cup
• Salt
• Liquid Dish Detergent
• Rubber Gloves
• Paper Towels
• Plastic Table Cover

DIRECTIONS:

1. Cover table with plastic. Gather supplies.
2. Fill a large plastic container with enough water for the fabric to move freely. The water should ideally be 200F. If tap water is not hot enough, heat water on the stove and add to the bath.
3. Add one packet of Color Remover to bath. Mix well.
4. Wet the pants you are going to be removing the color from and add it to the bath.
5. Stir occasionally. Some fabrics will lose their color in as fast as 10 minutes, others can take up to 20 minutes. Once your garment turns white or off-white, remove it from the bath.
6. Rinse in cool water.
7. Wash in warm water with a mild detergent and rinse.
8. Item is now ready to be dyed.
9. To prepare dyebath: Fill large plastic tub or bucket with 3 gallons of very hot tap water (140 F). If water is not hot enough, heat water in a cook pot or teapot. Shake dye bottle before pouring. Wearing rubber gloves, add 1/2 cup of your desired color to the water; stir well. In this example, we used Teal.
10. To enhance the color, add 1 cup of salt to the dyebath. To promote level dyeing, add 1 teaspoon of liquid dish detergent to the dyebath. Stir well.
11. Test dye color by dipping a paper towel into the dyebath. If color is too light, add more dye. If color is too dark, add more water.
12. Immerse wet pants in dyebath. The wet fabric will absorb the dye more evenly and prevent splotchy results. Stir constantly for 30 minutes or until desired color is achieved (up to one hour). Pants will look darker when wet and prior to washing. Stirring helps to ensure an even color.
13. We strongly recommend using Rit ColorStay Dye Fixative on the pants. It enhances the color, increases color retention and prevents dye from bleeding into white areas. Follow package instructions.
14. Wash in warm water with a mild detergent, rinse and dry.