Cotton Capri
Sewers and Tailors: Dyeing black pants to cover a faded hem line?
I have a pair of black Audrey pants I got at the Gap this spring. I’d like to lengthen them for fall and winter. There is a generous hem allowance, so I have just enough fabric to take them from capri pant to ciggarette pant. However, the part where the old hem was folded has faded to grey. They’ve never been pressed, but they have been washed at least 10 times. If I used some Rit dye, so you think it would even out the color or just make the pants beautifully black and the hem line a darker grey?
I’m pretty strapped, so I don’s want to spend the money on the dye if it’s not going to work.
The pants are 99% cotton, 1% lycra (my new favorite blend). The weight is a cotton duck, almost as heavy as a denim. The location of the current hem falls at the thickest part of my leg, so if I can’t lengthen them, I guess I’ll shorten them for next spring. I really want to not have any noticable line on the pants. Perhaps I’m asking too much of some fabric dye?
If the grey is just at the point that it was folded at, it’s probably worn fibers and not loss of dye that’s causing the problem.
Frankly, it’s incredibly difficult to get good black with dye, especially with Rit dye and especially a matching black as most of them have a blue, green, red or purple cast. It’s almost impossible to guarantee that you’ll get a matching black without testing it.
On another note, you might want to check to see if it’s possible to press the crease out, lest you go through the pain of fixing the color and still have a crease present.
American Glamour Badgley Mischka Cotton-Blend Capri Pants