Frequently Asked Questions
Curious if your garment is a good fit for our natural dye service? Check out these frequently asked questions and learn more about the potential outcomes of natural dyes.
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Q: What garments can I send to your dye house?
You can send any natural fiber garment or blends that are at least 60% natural fibers. Natural fibers include cotton, linen, silk, wool, and even semi-synthetic fibers like rayon, modal, tencel, and lyocell. You can find out more at our blog post “What Can I Send to Green Matters To Dye?” linked below.
Q: Your page says I can send something up to 1 pound - how much does ____ weight?
We answer this question extensively on our blog post “What Do Garments Weigh?” >> check it out below!
Q: How long until I get my garment back?
The time between when you send us your garment & when we return it to you can vary. For indigo, you can expect about 4 weeks as all indigo items are dyed one at a time, by hand, at our indigo vat.
For the Dye Lot of the Month, the timeline can vary. When we offer our monthly dylots, we accept orders from the first of he month until the last day of the month. Once all orders arrive at our studio, we can start running the communal dye lots. The amount of time it takes to process all the garments varies depending on volume. For this reason, if you send us your garments on August 30th, you may get them back within 2 weeks, while someone who sent items on August 1st have to wait a bit longer.
Q:Do you dye rayon?
A: Yes! Rayon, modal, viscose, tencel, and lyocell are semi-synthetic fibers. Each of these fibers is :: technically :: cellulose based, though chemical processing is required to transform wood pulp into fiber. The plant based dyes we use for our community dye lots will adhere to these fibers because they are :: technically :: cellulose based. That said, we often find that recipes come out less vibrant than if we dye a garment that is 100% cotton, silk, linen, or wool. We are happy to dye whatever garments you send our way (unless they’re polyester - the dyes just won’t bond with synthetic fibers, sorry!), understanding we can’t promise that your garment will take color the same way as our product images.
Q: If I send you a garment that isn’t white, do you remove the color before dyeing it?
A: We get this question a lot, and the answer is no we do not strip the color from your garments prior to dyeing them. While your garments do :: not :: have to be white when you send them to us, if your garment is not white it will likely have a different color outcome than you see in our product photos. For example, if you send a bright yellow garment to be dyed in our deep red Pinot, the color outcome may be warmer than the product image, leaning toward orange rather than red. If you send a dark brown garment and have it dyed in eggplant, it may be a very deep shade of purple, grey, or possibly black. The truth is, we can make some informed guesses about the color outcome of your garment, but we really don’t know until we try! That’s part of the adventure of upcycling garments with natural dyes ~
Q: Do you offer tie dye?
A: Sure do! When you place your order on our site, you will see the option to select “solid” or “tie dye” when you order. We also welcome you to tie your garment yourself prior to shipping if there is a particular pattern you want on your garment.
Q: Can I send several garments to the dye lot?
A: Yes, yes you can ~ If you send 5+ garments to the Community Indigo Vat and/or Dye Lot of the Month, you will qualify for bulk pricing. Your order of 5+ garments can be split between multiple colors- use code 5BLUE for indigo and 5BULK for DLOM colors, and be sure the quantities you are sending match the quantity in your cart at check out.
Interested in a wholesale order? Email us at info@greenmattersnaturaldyecompany.com
Q: Can I send you my slipcover? What about bedding?
A: You can definitely send us a slipcover as long as it is made with 60%+ natural fibers. And of course, a mind our caveat!:
We find natural dyes in the home to be very beautiful and fulfilling (I personally have an indigo dyed couch cover and I love it very much). It’s important to emphasize that interior fabrics receive more UV exposure than fabrics that we store in our wardrobes, and there may be visible shifts in color over time. Additionally, because of the oversized nature of the piece being dyed, you would expect to see tonal variation within the color which is caused by the way larger fabrics move in our dye machines.
Note that for oversized items, we ask that you submit your order thorugh our Love My Linens page, which is priced for larger items such as bedding, slipcovers, etc.
Q: Can you overdye my _____ a custom color?
We offer custom dye through our Bridal Heirloom service, originally offered to help upcycle wedding garments that are typically worn on a single occasion. This package has two options. Customers can opt for samples to review prior to dyeing the dress. We are only able to process samples if you have swatches of the same fabric your dress is constructed out of. Customers can review swatches of color outcomes to review and select prior to dyeing the dress. If you select no samples, our team will communicate with you about desired color outcome, and will dye the garment according to previous recipes with a similar outcome.
