Fabric Dye Colour Guide

Create 100's of new custom fabric dye colours using the core Tintex dyes. A basic sampling of colours is very versatile for many projects.

1. Make any Tintex colour a pastel just by using less dye powder mixed with hot water (example: use a small amount of scarlet red for pastel pink).*Pink dye is available at Dollarama in 50g packaging or order 10-pound tubs at our store. 
2. Stovetop hand dyeing gets the brightest or darkest colours. Use double the usual amount of dye to get the most deep or vibrant colours (example: black & scarlet red). Dyeing times may vary for each fabric, 30 - 60 minutes may be needed for darker/brighter results.
3. When over-dyeing add the 'complementary colour' to neutralize a bright base from coming through when you dye Black or Charcoal Grey (example: existing scarlet red fabric + black + some forest green = black without red tones).
4. Mix 2-3 dyes together to make a new colour. For best results do a dye colour test before.

• Warmer Shade (example: brilliant yellow + brown)
• Cooler Shade (example: midnight blue + charcoal grey)  
• Different Colour (example: scarlet red + royal blue = purple) 

Existing colour can change the results, Colour Remover can help create a neutral base before dyeing. White cotton fabric dyes closest to package colour, but nylon, silk, rayon, and wool may dye lighter or darker. For best results test your colour before and change amounts as needed.

Make a custom colour sample: cut a 12" x 12" swatch of fabric and measure dye with a teaspoon or tablespoon. Dissolve Tintex into 1 or 2 cups of very hot water. Each custom colour recipe may include full or partial measurements of teaspoons or tablespoons (example: 1/16, 1/8, 1/4, 1/2, 3/4 tsp and/or Tbsp). Adjust the amount of dye as needed to get your desired custom colour. 

Make Pastels Using Any Tintex Dye

A small amount of any dye makes a pastel (example: use 1/16, 1/8 or 1/4 tsp of dye colour mixed with 1 cup hot water). Start with the smallest amount and add more dye or hot water as needed. 

1/8 tsp Cardinal Red + 1/8 tsp Tan Beige = Rose Quartz 

  

 1/8 tsp Midnight Blue + 1/8 tsp Charcoal Grey = Serenity 

  

 

1/8 tsp Purple + 1/8 Midnight Blue  = Lilac/Pastel Purple

  

Adjust & Change Dye Colour

• Get Warmer Colours: add a small amount of brilliant yellow, tangerine orange, scarlet or cardinal red dye (example: add brilliant yellow to make magenta a true red).

   

 

• Get Cooler Colours: add a small amount of midnight blue, royal blue, navy blue, forest green, charcoal grey or black dye. 

     

• Adjust Tone: add neutral colours like tan beige, brown or dark brown to tone down a bright colour.  

  

• Darken Colours: add deep rich dyes like charcoal grey, black, dark brown or navy blue to make existing dyes deeper. The darkest dye available in the colour family will increase the intensity (example: use navy blue dye to make midnight blue deeper). 

   

• Substitute Dyes: a Tintex dye from the same colour family can be used in a new dye formula. Colour results may vary depending on how light/dark the substituted colour is and how much dyed is used in the formula (example: cardinal red, scarlet red, tangerine orange).

   

Use double the usual amount of dye for projects using dark colours and bright colours. Get the most colour intensity when you use the hottest water possible for your fabric (example: use the stove top dyeing method, heat water with a kettle or use 140°F water).

Neutralize Bright Fabric When Over-Dyeing Darker 

 

Complementary colours are opposite on the colour wheel. They consist of primary (red, blue & yellow) and secondary (orange, green & purple) colours.

When dyeing a colourful fabric Black or Charcoal Grey (without using Colour Remover before) the original colour may show through. The solution is adding some of the complementary colour in with the dark dye, this will cancel out the original base colour showing through. 

• Red base needs Forest Green (or mix Royal/Navy Blue & Brilliant Yellow) 
• Orange base needs Royal/Midnight Blue
• Yellow base needs Purple or Dark Plum (or mix Scarlet/Cardinal Red & Royal/Midnight Blue)
• Green base needs Scarlet Red/Cardinal Red
• Blue base needs Tangerine Orange (or mix Brilliant Yellow & Scarlet/Cardinal Red)
• Purple base needs Brilliant Yellow

Mix New Dye Colours

You can change an original Tintex package colour just by adding another dye (example: one 55g package of brilliant yellow + one 55g package of kelly green makes a bright green). 

• 2017 Greenery This yellow green looks similar to Tintex Kelly Green. so you could use Kelly green alone or try mixing Brilliant Yellow + Kelly Green or Forest Green could be mixed with Brilliant Yellow for a deeper greenery theme colour. 

   

• Adding more of one dye than the other will change the colour (example: 100% cotton terry fabric is dyed midnight blue and a blue green sample is made with 1 Tbsp midnight blue + 1 1/4 tsp kelly green). 

  

• Create classic neutrals like Marsala (example: 100% cotton terry is dyed a mixture of 2 tsp brown, 2 tsp scarlet red, and 1/4 tsp charcoal grey with hot water). Adjust the colour intensity to suit tour taste by changing the suggested amount of dye or substituting another dye in same colour family like dark brown, tan beige, beige, cardinal red or black. 

Brown + Scarlet Red + Charcoal Grey = Marsala

   

The Dye Colour Wheel

If you are dyeing your fabric a similar or darker colour you don't always have to lighten before. You can get new colours by over-dyeing (example: red fabric turns purple if you dye it blue without lightening the colour before). See how the colours relate on the colour wheel: 

Basic Colour Theory For Dyeing:

Primary Colours: Red, Yellow & Blue combine to make all other colours.

  

Secondary Colours mix two primary colours (Red, Yellow or Blue) together.

  

Red Violet = (Red + Purple)
Red Orange  = (Red + Orange)
Yellow Orange  = (Yellow + Orange)
Yellow Green = (Yellow + Green)
Blue Green = (Blue + Green)
Blue Violet = (Blue + Purple)

Complementary Colours are opposite on the colour wheel (Orange & Blue, Yellow & Purple and Red & Green). 

     

Split Complementary Colour: Choose two colours on either side of a complementary colour (for example: Yellow, Blue Violet & Red Violet). 

Analogous: side by side on the colour wheel (Red, Red Orange & Orange). 

Monochromatic: different shades of the same colour extended using tints & tones