I wore a shirt I dyed myself to a picnic and it turned my skin blue for days. What's the best way to test colors before wearing them out? | Fashion Design Ideas - Chatter Central
Wash the heck out of that shirt first, like a bunch of times in hot water (seriously, more than you think). A lot of home dyers skip the proper after-wash step where you get all the extra dye out. For testing, cut a small swatch of the same fabric you used, dye it with the shirt, and then rub the wet swatch hard on a white paper towel. If color comes off, it's not done bleeding yet. A quick soak in some vinegar water after dyeing can sometimes help set certain dyes, too, but that really depends on the dye type.
Remember my friend who tried to dye their hair dark brown at home? Their entire bathtub stayed purple for months. Some dyes are just super clingy, right? Ever had a color disaster that wasn't clothes?