Using dye to match a color?

How well you can dye something depends on what it's made of. Cotton, linen, ramie, hemp and other cellulose fibres dye very well with Procion MX dye, which are easy to use at room temperatures using safe household chemicals. Protein fibres such as silk, wool, soy silk etc need acid dyes, again with household chemicals (a glug of vinegar) but they need temps around boiling point.

There are many suppliers of Procion MX, including possibly your local craft store. They're relatively expensive for small quantities. There are better suppliers for larger quantities but I can't tell you where becaue you don't say where you live. They should come with directions.

If you material is a cotton/synthetic blend, the cotton part will dye but the synthetic part won't. Depending on how well the two are blended, you'll get a lighter shade or a heathery mix.

Dyes are transparent, so the new colour will be the original with an overlay of the dye colour. It sounds like you need a small amount of navy blue or brown. You'll have to experiment, and you may not get a perfect match.

It takes years of practice to dye something a perfect match. I know people who can, but I'm not one of them.

If you use Procion it will take a couple of hours for it to fix, then it'll need rinsing and the excess dye will need washing out - just run it through a hot wash with soething like the dog towels. After that it'll be completely colourfast.

HTH, let me know if you want more information.

I think the material I bought is cotton or cotton/polyester. I'm not sure about my old apron. I took off the tags long ago. I do know that they are bleach resistant, so they may be dye resistant as well.

I suspect I will just have to do some trial and error.

match.

The material I bought is almost the color I want, just a tad light. The only blue apron strings would only be good if I can dye them marroon to match the new apron. Less sewing since they are already perfect apron strings, but totally wrong color.

Thanks. That does help a lot. I'm going to go ahead and try a small piece of teh material and one of the old aprons.

I question whether you would be able to dye a different fabric and obtain a perfect (or even close) match. How about using a contrasting color, and making it a "design feature". Maybe add a pocket of the contrasting color, too?

contrasting

It's a work apron. I'd be written up if I showed up in something that obviously deviated from the official company look. If I have to, I can use the material without changing it. It is only a little lighter, so it wouldn't be horrible. But it has to look good.

Unfortunately, they just started having us wear them. I would love to get an old or damaged one and just cut it up and make straps. But it took me a month of asking just to get a second one.

If there is polyester in the fabric, it can't be dyed at home. The only successful dyeing that can be done at home is on natural fibers and nylon.

You would be best off waiting for a reject or damaged apron from work. Dyeing to match a specific color is next to impossible, especially if the fiber content of the fabric differs at all from the original.

Have you inquired to the person who ordered these to find why the design was changed? If you are uncomfortable in the new design, surely others are, too. Maybe your company can return them for a different style?

Teri

Might be cheaper in the long run, to buy or beg another apron, cut it up, and make new straps. I'd couple of fellow employees who want straps, get them to go in with you on the cost, and make enough straps for everyone. Aprons are quick and easy to make; just adding straps is a breeze. HTH. Cea

I agree, but OP said: "Unfortunately, they just started having us wear them. I would love to get an old or damaged one and just cut it up and make straps. But ittook me a month of asking just to get a second one."

I wonder if there is enough length on them to take an inch off the bottom, re-hem and use the scrap for a strap?

That will be awhile as the new design just came out less than 2 months ago. I wasn't even able to get a second apron until a couple days ago. And unfortunately, the whole store gets black, except my department - we get marroon. Black would have been easy.

It's a marketing thing. They are changing all the stores to a new design, so we have new aprons, new shirts, and new hats. They went with a new company to make the aprons, so they only have the one design.

I think I have a solution though. The new aprons have a tie around teh neck and two straps to tie around the waist. Nowhere near long enough to do the design I want. But now that I have two aprons, I have enough to work with. If I take the length from the neck section and add it to one of the waist pieces, that should be enough for one of the longer straps. Then take a wasit piece from each apron and have it attach with a button. I would have to share the one strap between the two aprons until I can get a strap apron, but I think it would work. And it would be identical color and material. I'm going to verifiy the lengths I need tonight and do it if they are long enough. I have my old aprons, so I can use that length to make sure.

I'm sure it could be done, but not by me. I don't know how to use a sewing machine, so I just fix things by hand. The apron has a series of pockets along he bottom, and then a border around it. So, I would have to take it apart, cut off a section, and then put that border piece back on.

If I could buy a spare apron, I would. I'd actually buy a couple so I could go longer without doing laundry. But I was just told today that they are going to give us new aprons with the new slogan on them. I don't know how soon we will get those, but that may be why they have been so stingy with these. I don't know if we will be wearing both versions or just the new ones afterward, so I may get to cut my current apron if they say we can't wear them. If so, I will get as many as I can from my co-workers and save them for replacng straps on future aprons. Also, a couple people want to put a pocket on them for pens up at the top.

Thanks again to everybody for the great advice. This is not my normal area of expertise, but I have to do something to fix them. I used to tolerate the neck straps, but after 5 or 6 years of the alternative aprons, I have gotten very used to them.

Sounds like a plan, good luck!

Thanks. I compared the lengths, and as long as each apron has one permanent and one shared strap, I have enough to do it. The straps will be about 3 inches shorter than on my old apron, but I will still be able to tie it okay. I've got my loops done on one apron, and I just finished the permanent strap. I just need to do the shared strap, and I can try it out.

I think your best bet is to make strings that match the shirt you wear under the apron.

Might be possible to attach them with hooks, to match different shirts.

Joy Beeson

Would management have kittens if your apron had hooks at the side, like a skirt waistband, instead of tying in the back? It seems to me that this would be more comfortable as well

-- no knot in the spine when you sit down, no feeling around for a knot you can't see, no little boys sneaking up behind to untie it, no strings drooping into the toilet . . .

Joy Beeson

And you know about this because....

You must remember the old saying, "Necessity is the Mother of Invention." Good thought about using the straps differently to achieve what you need. Emily

No problem there. They are still long enough to tie in front, under the apron. I wore it at work today, and it was fine.

Invention."

Thanks. Eventually, when I get an apron I can sacrifice, then I can make permanent straps on every apron. Hopefully, I can end up with more than two. It was so much nicer when I had 5 aprons and could wash my laundry only once a week. I work with food, so I do need to have a clean apron. But trading one strap back and forth is no real biggy. I didn't even have to use a button. The end of the strap is hemmed, and you have to kinda stuff it through the plastic piece that it attaches to. It would almost stay by itself, but it could come loose if pulled hard enough. So, I just folded it over and stuck my 5 year company pin through it. It holds it in place and looks appropriate.

I wore it today, and only one person said anything, and she only noticed because she knew I was planning to do it. Nobody else noticed, so it didn't look bad :)

And it was so much more comfortable :)

Actually, if you look at history, invention is the mother of necessity. Cases in point: Teflon, Tyvek, Post-it note glue.

Congratulations on fixing the problem!