I once read of a quilter who would put a spool of thread in a
jar of hot water and let it sit for an hour or so. If the water became tinted with the thread color she would repeat. When the water was clear she dumped it out and let the spool of thread dry. Obviously, this process requires some time. I have never tried this but a couple of questions come to mind. One, if your're using quilting thread (ie waxed thread) will the water actually get through the wax to the dyed thread? Two, will the water penetrate all the way into the inner layers of thread or will you have to repeat as you use the thread up? Maybe I will experiment...