Hi there, I just wanted to know which colors of the fabric dye I can use to make either the color “old rose” or “gold”. Those 2 are very hard to find so I was just thinking of mixing them myself.
Thank You, Alexandra

Dear Alexandra,
It’s really hard to give a formula without seeing your swatches or knowing what you are going for – plus what kind of dye you are using and what fabric you are wanting to dye.
I have been working on getting a good gold for several years. This is a tough color to obtain because it can easily come out mustard, green, muddy dark yellow, or other unpleasant surprises.
Here’s what I do when I want to create or match a color:
*stare at your swatch and do your best to figure out the components of the color. My guess is that Old Rose is a blue-pink mixed with a touch of gray or maybe brown. But it could be a warm-pink with brown, too. (Get a book on color theory to help figure out components of colors.)
*do several test loads, make notes on what you get. It’s hard to exactly replicate because conditions change when you go to larger quantities of fabrics. But do your best and you will learn how to adjust.
*I suggest the reactive dyes which produce more vivid results and are easy to mix.
Note, I have found that reactive Bronze produces a beautiful gold on silk and rayon. I have also gotten a beautiful metallic-type gold using a mixture of greens, Bronze, plus ProChemical’s Tangerine (www.prochemical.com) on rayon lace. On this method I use the squirt-dye technique which doesn’t involve mixing the dyes, just squirt on the various colors and let them mix on the fabric.
If this is too confusing or too much info, I suggest you look for someone in your area who knows fabric dyeing. Work with them a couple of sessions to figure out what you need and how to do it.
good luck,
Jennifer