Let's say I buy a white, long sleeve, buttoned collar shirt and dye it - an ancient dye like turmeric, cinnamon, lava dust, etc.

Would it turn out well or would the threads and [plastic] buttons mess it up?

I've never dyed cloth and really ignorant to how results can be achieved.

I suspect that the answer is "it depends". As in, it depends on what kind of material the shirt is made of. I'm sorry I don't have a better answer than that.

I think I would buy a shirt already in the preferred color. My wife has done a few dyed craft shirts. Sometimes the color is even, other times not so much, but they always seem to fade faster than manufactured shirts.

That was just ordinary cotton. I’m not sure how that basting would affect things.

Research on the internet its not simple or tidy process. This is what little I remember.

-If its cotton wash, rinse and dry beforehand.
-Use a ritz dye of your preference.
-Use a large stock pot you don't plan on reusing for cooking. Rather I'd say get two or three five gallon buckets.
-Follow instructions on ritz website and/or package
-Chemically setting dye to fabric after initial color change with vinegar and/or salt water will help 'set it'.

Don't use washing machine to dye it in as I did as a boy. My mom could have killed me. It dyed all the plastic in machine a nice purple/blue.

Research on internet again.

Probably not.
I’ve tried dying things before and it’s never worked out quite to my satisfaction- if you don’t really care, it’s fine.. but if you do, have a pro do it.

If you do this, wear gloves.

Save you time and trouble and go to Banks ,they got really nice shirts ,will cost but I like them for dress

I think you should use Gorilla Glue and post your results on the internet.

quote:

Originally posted by 229DAK:
If you do this, wear gloves.

Thanks all. Sometimes a natural dye is a color not accurately reproduced. Dying a premade shirt was a thought (the unevenness is something I didn't consider).

As Nancy Kerrigan asked, "WHYYYYYYYY???"

quote:

Originally posted by Rey HRH:
As Nancy Kerrigan asked, "WHYYYYYYYY???"

Mostly "just cuz I can" but also part of it would be to have a uniquely colored shirt (like a light indigo using black beans).

If you are just going for uniqueness, give it a rip. No matter how bad it comes out it will be one of a kind

100% cotton or blend?

All cotton it should work fine. No different than tie dying it

Cotton should work well, but synthetics can be a different story. Pre-soaking the shirt will help the color be more even. If you're using indigo, try to avoid bubbles as much as possible- no plunging or swishing.