Can you dye Aida cross-stitch cloth?
 

DD2 does cross-stitch, and has been looking without success for Aida in a soft pastel rainbow tie-dye effect. I can find single-color marbled Aida, but that's not what she is looking for. Like this: https://www.pinterest.com/pin/722546333937526391/

I've dyed fabric before, but only cotton quilt fabric. Aida is cotton, but my concern is the starch/sizing/ whatever they use to make it stiff. It will have to be washed in hot water to remove it, or the dye won't take.

Will such washing ruin it, do you think? Or should we just bite the bullet and experiment?

I would also have the same concerns about the stiffening agent. I think I would use a cross hatch pattern and a long stitch length and baste it to a piece of muslin. I think I'd make the muslin larger than the aida cloth & bring the back to the front to bind it. Treat it gently whe dying, then dip starch it with a 100% liquid starch. Lay it on the counter to dry patting the weave straight. After it's dry, remove the basting stitches & muslin & clean your counter!

I tea dyed a few samplers I made years ago. They were softer and I found them easier to work with. After the sampler was done, I washed them and they came out very well. Of course, mine were then framed and hang on the wall. Are you going to dye them before cross stitching them? I would try one and wash it and see if the dye runs. Good luck.

That all sounds workable. Thanks!

Yes, I'd be dyeing it before she stitched it. Fiber-reactive dye doesn't run (or fade much.) It becomes part of the cotton fibers, rather than sitting on top like Rit. After dyeing, the fabric is washed in hot water until the rinse water runs clear. (Eek, a step I forgot to mention before! All the more reason to baste it to muslin.) I have t-shirts, worn and washed regularly, that are still bright.

Fabrics by LJ an etsy supplier, he does beautiful dying on all kinds of cross stitch fabric.

Can't see why you should not be able to dye it ... after all, it is cotton.
Yup, I agree ... just bite the bullet and go for it and find out.

First though, you could Google ... I just did and as expected a huge amount of info awaiting.
Plus found places that do the specialty dyeing, in case you are not really wanting to do it.
However, there is nothing like DIY and being able to say
♪♪I did it myyyyyyyy way♪♪
(just to quote Frank Sinatra!

I don’t know about doing it yourself but I can find loads of websites offering what you are wanting such as https://www.fiberliciousyummyfibers....d-dyed-fabrics, http://www.silkweaverfabrics.com/home/new-items

I just saw a couple of pictures on Facebook of some cross-stitch cloth that Jamie Wallen just dyed. You might get ahold of him & ask him how he did it. You can reach him through Quilters Apothecary.com

I've used the pullaway aida type cloth on projects on dyed fabric so I wouldn't have to dye aida. It made lining the pattern up on the best area of the by tie-dyed fabric.