Dyeing vintage gloves

I have some vintage gloves that were my grandmothers and I would like to wear them. However they are stained and I would either like to try to bleach the stains, or dye them a different colour. I believe the gloves are nylon or rayon due to their texture and date of purchase, but I am not sure. I have researched my dye options and found that nylon and rayon used totally different types of dye, and so it is important to my project to know which fabric type they are. Any suggestions for discerning between nylon and rayon?

Thanks :)

Victoria

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Permalink Reply by Rosy on July 23, 2011 at 5:59pm

To my experience in dyeing fabrics, you can only dye natural fabrics, this is .... cotton, linen, etc.. Synthetic fabrics such as nylon and rayon do not absorb the dye, so you shouldask your retailer where you buy the dye, there certainly advise you. Good luck.

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Permalink Reply by Casey Sew on July 24, 2011 at 4:10pm

I've looked up some fabric properties and found that Rayon fibres are absorbent while Nylon fibres are not. So.. you could try a water drop test onto the gloves. If the water soaks right in it will be more likely rayon.. if it sits on top like a bead for a while it's likely nylon.

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Permalink Reply by Jen O on July 30, 2011 at 3:17am

You may want to try looking into the Dharma Trading Co. They probably have the best selection if dyes anywhere, and can help you match your fiber to the best type of dye for it.