Blended fiber garment over dyeing process

Textiles are first manufactured to attain dimensional stability and durability and thereby withstand the rigors of industrial rental and commercial laundering. Then, the garments are dyed in a two-stage process to yield outstanding colorfastness, pilling resistance, dimensional stability and durability. Garments are yielded that, even after extensive use, may be overdyed to custom colors in custom-sized batches to extend the useful life of stained or otherwise discolored garments. By performing the dyeing and/or overdyeing portions of the process at a location near the end user of the textile, transaction costs related to transportation of goods are minimized, technical resources are efficiently utilized, and large inventories of dyed garments need not be maintained, thereby reducing inventory expenses. Knit garments are formed by selecting synthetic polymeric and cellulosic fibers, spinning fibers into yarn, knitting yarn into fabric, treating the fabric, cutting and sewing the fabric into garments, dyeing the cellulosic fiber portion of the garments, and dyeing the synthetic polymeric fiber portion of the garments at temperatures and pressures above atmospheric conditions. Integrated with several of these steps are reiterative processes, including a pattern-making step by which dimensional shrinkage is predicted and controlled, and a dye formulation step by which custom colors can be imparted to the sewn garment.

BACKGROUND 
The present invention relates to a blended-fiber, knit garment and a 
process for designing and dyeing polyester-cotton, knit garments with 
soil-release characteristics, colorfastness, durability, shrinkfastness 
and anti-pilling properties in order to meet the diverse demands of the 
commercial laundering and industrial rental markets. The invention conveys 
these benefits without the application of resins that are known to have 
limited effectiveness and cause loss of cellulosic tensile strength. 
Additionally, the invention economically maximizes the cost of 
transporting finished garments, eliminates the production of unwanted dyed 
scrap fabric and significantly reduces wastewater that is otherwise 
commonly associated with garment dyeing processes. 
Knit garments are naturally more comfortable than woven garments, and knits 
also provide an aesthetically pleasing appearance, making knits highly 
desired for industrial uniform rental applications. However, the processes 
by which knit garments are presently manufactured causes them inherently 
to lack stability, durability and fastness, making knits unsuitable for 
rental applications and commercial laundering attendant thereto. Knit 
garments are cut and sewn from fabric that is manufactured by one of two 
processes: either yarn dyeing or fabric dyeing. Yarn dyeing involves first 
spinning fibers into yarn, winding the yarn into skeins and then placing 
the wound skeins onto dyeing cones. The cones are immersed into liquor and 
dyed. The dyed yarn is then knitted into fabric, usually in tubular form. 
In fabric dyeing, the yam is first spun and knit into fabric in a tubular 
shape and stored on a take-up roll. The tubular-knit fabric is then pulled 
through a water jet nozzle while being impregnated with dye. 
Whether yam-dyed or fabric-dyed, the resulting fabric is then passed 
through a finishing procedure that attempts to minimize staining from 
different types of soil, reduce wrinkling during washing and drying, 
improve shrinkage resistance, provide softness for better hand and reduced 
needle cutting during the garment sewing process. This finishing process 
is performed by supporting the fabric on a tenter frame and treating the 
fabric with resin. Unfortunately, application of resin imparts only 
partial shrinkage control, and the effectiveness of the resin to impart 
soil release characteristics decreases when the fabric is exposed to 
chemicals used in commercial laundering. Additionally, the application of 
resin to cotton-polyester blended fabric causes a significant decrease in 
the tensile strength of the cellulosic component of the textile, thereby 
decreasing the durability and serviceable life of knit garments. As a 
result, there is a need for knits that can acquire good soil release 
characteristics, shrinkage resistance and softness without the addition of 
resin. 
In addition to the shortcomings imposed by resin treatment, yarn and fabric 
dyeing processes employed in the textile industry waste dye, chemicals and 
water. In both yam dyeing and fabric dyeing, the dyeing processes must be 
performed before the garment is cut and sewn. As a result, a significant 
amount of dyed fabric is wasted when the unneeded fabric scraps are 
discarded after the cutting portion of the respective processes. In 
addition to the lost dye contained in the unneeded scraps, the discarded, 
dyed fabric represents increased production of wastewater as well as the 
loss of otherwise unneeded chemicals in the dyeing process and the loss of 
dyeing capacity that was unnecessarily consumed in dyeing the wasted 
scraps. 
In addition to losses associated with dyeing unnecessary portions of 
textiles, the economics associated with transportation in the garment 
industry causes inefficiencies to be introduced in the manufacture of knit 
garments. Cutting and sewing is the most labor intensive portion of the 
garment manufacturing process. However, certain dyeing processes, such as 
custom dyeing, involves only modest amounts of labor and is highly 
technical. As a result, manufacturers of knit garments transport their 
undyed spun yam or undyed fabric from the location of manufacture, which 
typically has widely available labor, to a location for dyeing that has 
adequate technical and equipment resources. After dyeing, the goods are 
shipped back to regions of available labor for knitting and/or cutting and 
sewing before final shipment to a finished garment distribution network. 
This is a lengthy process. Consequently, large stores of dyed garments 
must be maintained in order to readily supply any demands. The costs 
attendant to maintaining such an inventory can be high. Additionally, the 
transaction costs associated with the transportation of goods can exceed 
the value of the materials in the finished garments, making custom dyeing 
impractical. Consequently, there is a need in the industry for both a 
garment and a process by which such a garment can be manufactured that 
will maximize the efficient use of available resources, including 
inventory management and transportation resources. 
In addition to streamlining the utilization of resources, there is a need 
to improve the chemical processes by which knits are dyed so as to better 
serve the needs of the commercial laundering and industrial rental 
markets. Yarn dyed and fabric dyed knit garments shrink by five percent 
(5%) or more in width and greater than ten percent (10%) in length when 
exposed to commercial laundering. Length-to-width shrinkage can be so 
disproportionate that threads break and seams pucker. In addition, yarn 
dyeing is inefficient. In yarn dyeing, the outer surface of fibers may 
appear to be dyed; however, the inner portion of each fiber remains 
undyed. This is known as the "ring-dye effect." When combined with the 
poor colorfastness of dyes typically utilized in yarn dyeing, garments 
made of yarn-dyed fibers wear prematurely with industrial use and 
commercial laundering. While the chemistry of fabric dyeing can produce 
textiles with better washfastness than can yam dyeing, fabric dyeing is 
very difficult to execute properly. Consequently, in addition to the 
aforesaid, there is a need in the industry for a garment and a process of 
designing and dyeing a knit textile to render it capable of maintaining 
dimensional stability, durability, colorfastness, and pill resistance when 
exposed to the harsh environments imposed by commercial laundering and 
industrial rental. 
SUMMARY 
The present invention is directed toward a process for inventory 
management, a process for manufacturing a garment, a garment itself, and a 
process for overdyeing a garment. Each of these are performed so that the 
resulting textile that has good colorfastness, dimensional stability, pill 
resistance and durability in commercial laundering and in industrial 
uniform rental. Furthermore, the invention maximizes the efficient 
utilization of inventory, technological and transportation resources. 
The invention is a process for inventory management of dyed, blended-fiber, 
knit garments that has several steps. First, blended-fiber, knit garments 
are acquired that have been manufactured to allow shrinkage from vat 
dyeing at atmospheric conditions and shrinkage from disperse dyeing at 
temperatures and pressures above atmospheric conditions. Then, as dyed 
garments may be needed, they are vat dyed at atmospheric conditions and 
then disperse dyed at temperatures and pressures above atmospheric 
conditions. 
The invention is also a process for manufacturing a resin-free, dyed, 
blended-fiber, knit garment with shrink resistance. This process has 
several steps, which include the following. A blended-fiber, knit garment 
is manufactured to allow for shrinkage from vat dyeing at atmospheric 
conditions and disperse dyeing at temperatures and pressures above 
atmospheric conditions. The blended-fiber, knit garment is vat dyed at 
atmospheric conditions and disperse dyed at temperatures and pressures 
above atmospheric conditions. 
The invention is also a dyed, resin-free, shrink-resistant knit garment, 
prepared by a particular process that has several steps, including the 
following. A knit garment is manufactured to allow for shrinkage from vat 
dyeing at atmospheric conditions and disperse dyeing at temperatures and 
pressures above atmospheric conditions. The knit garment is vat dyed at 
atmospheric conditions and disperse dyed at temperatures and pressures 
above atmospheric conditions. 
The invention is also a process for overdyeing a previously-dyed, 
blended-fiber, knit garment that has the following steps. A blended-fiber, 
knit garment is acquired that has been manufactured to allow for shrinkage 
from vat dyeing at atmospheric conditions and from disperse dyeing at 
temperatures and pressures above atmospheric conditions. Additionally, the 
garment has been previously vat-dyed at atmospheric conditions and 
disperse-dyed at temperatures and pressures above atmospheric conditions. 
The garment is vat dyed at atmospheric conditions and disperse dyed at 
temperatures and pressures above atmospheric conditions. 
These and other aspects of the present invention will become apparent to 
those skilled in the art after reading the following description. 
DESCRIPTION 
According to the present invention, textiles are first manufactured to 
attain dimensional stability and durability and thereby withstand the 
rigors of industrial rental and commercial laundering. Then, as described 
herein, the garments are dyed in a two-stage process to yield outstanding 
colorfastness, pilling resistance, dimensional stability and durability. 
The garment manufacturing process and the dyeing processes complement each 
other to virtually eliminate further shrinkage in the dyed garment. The 
placement of the dyeing steps after the fabric cutting and sewing steps 
also conserves dye and dyeing-related chemicals as well as reduces 
wastewater. Additionally, the process of the invention yields garments 
that, even after extensive use, may be overdyed to custom colors in 
custom-sized batches to extend the useful life of stained or otherwise 
discolored garments. By performing the dyeing and/or over-dyeing portions 
of the process at a location near the end user of the textile, transaction 
costs related to transportation of goods are minimized, and technical and 
equipment resources are efficiently utilized. Furthermore, large 
inventories of dyed garments need not be maintained. Instead, the 
invention allows an inventory of undyed garments to be maintained from 
which custom-dyed garments may readily be manufactured and supplied to 
purchasers. This significantly reduces inventory expenses. 
The process of the present invention as applied to knit garments is shown 
in FIG. 1 and may be described by selecting synthetic polymeric and 
cellulosic fibers, spinning fibers into yarn, knitting yarn into fabric, 
finishing fabric to accept dye, cutting and sewing the fabric into 
garments, dyeing the cellulosic fiber portion of the garments, and dyeing 
the synthetic polymeric fiber portion of the garments. Integrated with 
several of these steps are reiterative processes, including a 
pattern-making step by which dimensional shrinkage is predicted and 
controlled, and a dye formulation step by which custom colors can be 
imparted to the sewn garment. A more detailed description of these steps 
follows. 
Synthetic polymeric and cellulosic fibers are selected to impart the 
greatest durability, wickability, breatheability and dimensional stability 
to the finished garment. After the synthetic polymeric fibers and the 
cellulosic fibers have been selected, they are spun into yarn. The 
spinning process must be closely monitored to provide proper shrink 
control to the cotton component of the yarn. The yarn is then heat treated 
to control the shrinkage of the synthetic fiber. The shrinkage control 
imparted to the cellulosic components and the synthetic components of the 
yarn should be closely regulated to properly mate proportional shrinkage 
between the two fibers. The yarn is then knitted, typically in tubular 
form. Following knitting, the fabric is treated to remove knitting oils, 
pre-shrink the fabric and allow for proper dye penetration. This finishing 
may be performed by the use of emulsifiers, caustics, surfactants and 
wetting agents in various combinations to achieve the desired effect. The 
fabric is then softened to give the fabric good hand and facilitate its 
spreading and cutting and to reduce needle cutting tears caused by dull 
needles moving on high-speed sewing machines. The fabric softener is 
typically a non-ionic polyethylene with wax emulsions added. After the 
softening step, the fabric is spread and cut by industrial cutting saws. 
Knit garments can be made directly from tubular knit fabric. However, 
garments made in this fashion tend to torque when exposed to commercial 
laundering. Therefore, side seam construction can be used. In the cutting 
and sewing step, fabric is rolled into many ply and cut according to 
patterns and then sewn. Then, prior to dyeing, the sewn garments are 
either bleached white or, for garments that will be a dark shade, given a 
light scour to remove knitting oil. 
The cutting and sewing process is critical to the successful performance of 
a garment designed to withstand the rigors of commercial laundering and 
industrial rental. Although some shrinkage resistance can be instilled in 
the yarn as described herein, cellulosic fibers have natural 
inconsistencies that are difficult to gauge, particularly from harvest to 
harvest. At least annually, therefore, manufacturers will gradually merge 
new supplies of cellulosic fiber into existing supplies so that dramatic 
shifts in product performance will not occur. However, because of the 
variable natures of the constituent fibers, the patterns for knit garments 
should be adjusted to compensate for these variations at least annually, 
if not on a more regular basis. 
One iterative method of adjusting patterns is described as follows. First, 
test pieces are assembled from fabric, such as tubular knit fabric. Then 
an indelible ink grid is imprinted on the test pieces. The test pieces are 
then dyed and subjected to commercial laundering. The dimensions of the 
grid, or "markers", imprinted on the test pieces can be compared with the 
dimensions of the grid on control test pieces which have not been dyed or 
laundered. Shrinkage in width from about one-half percent (0.5%) to about 
one percent (1%) is generally acceptable, and shrinkage in length from 
about six percent (6%) to about eight percent (8%) is generally 
acceptable. Shrinkage in length in excess of ten percent (10%) is 
generally unacceptable. Should the shrinkage of the test pieces be 
excessive, the pattern should be adjusted to compensate for shrinkage in 
that direction. This process can be repeated until acceptable shrinkage is 
attained in the dyeing process. In addition to testing and compensating 
for variable shrinkage of fabric fibers, sewing thread and sewing thread 
tensions should be selected so that the thread sewn into the garments 
shrinks at rate that is similar to the shrinkage rate of the fabric. 
Mismatches between shrinkage rates of thread and fabric can result in 
either puckering of seams or breakage of thread. 
After the fabric is cut and sewn into garments in the described manner so 
as to take into account the variabilities of fabric and thread shrinkage, 
the garments are dyed by immersion in dyestuffs. For atmospheric dyeing, 
dyes should be selected as are appropriate for application to the fiber 
sought to be dyed. Although vat dyes are unpopular because they are 
difficult to use, vat dyes perform well with this embodiment of the 
invention and produce satisfactory results because of their ability to 
render good fastness to cellulosic fibers. In addition, the chemistry of 
vat dyes is more suited to rotary dye equipment than other types of dyeing 
equipment, including jet dyeing and yarn dyeing equipment. 
The dyeing of the cellulosic component of the garment can be carried out as 
shown in FIG. 2 at approximately atmospheric conditions as follows. An 
atmospheric vessel is still filled with cold water at approximately ninety 
degrees Fahrenheit (90.degree. F.) to form a bath with a liquor ratio of 
approximately 15:1, i.e., fifteen (15) parts water to one (1) part 
garment, by weight. A caustic agent such as sodium hydroxide is slowly 
added to the bath to bring the bath to a pH in a range from about twelve 
and one-half (12.5 pH) to about thirteen and one-half (13.5 pH), with a pH 
of about thirteen (13 pH) yielding satisfactory results. The bath is then 
agitated. The agitation can occur by rotation of the vessel about a 
horizontal axis at approximately twelve revolutions per minute (12 rpm) 
for approximately five minutes (5 min). Dyestuffs are then slowly added to 
the bath. The period of time over which dyestuffs are added to the bath 
can be about five minutes (5 min). Agitation is continued and the bath is 
heated indirectly at approximately four degrees Fahrenheit per minute 
(4.degree. F./min) until the bath reaches a temperature of approximately 
one hundred and forty degrees Fahrenheit (140.degree. F.). A reducing 
agent such as sodium hydrosulfite is then added to the bath to hold the 
dye in the reduced, or leuco, state while agitation is maintained. 
Alternatively, a combination of nitrogen gas and sodium hydrosulfite can 
be added to the bath to achieve reduction. Addition of nitrogen gas to a 
pressure vessel with modest seals and a bellows-operated gas overflow 
system can stabilize the available hydrosulfite, thereby significantly 
decreasing the amount of sodium hydrosulfite needed to stabilize the 
reaction. Use of nitrogen to reduce sodium hydrosulfite consumption 
decreases the cost of dyeing and increases the quality of any wastewater 
produced. 
Following the addition of the reducing agent, agitation is continued and 
the temperature of the bath is maintained at approximately one hundred and 
forty degrees Fahrenheit (140.degree. F.) for a period of time ranging 
from about ten minutes (10 min) to about thirty minutes (30 min), 
depending on the depth of shade desired. Water is then added to the bath, 
and excess bath is drained to maintain an approximately constant bath 
volume until the pH of the bath is reduced to about ten (10 pH) or lower. 
Then, at a pH of approximately ten (10 pH) or less, the liquor ratio is 
decreased from about twenty-to-one (20:1) to about eight-to-one (8:1). 
After the liquor ratio of the bath is decreased in such a manner, an 
oxidizing agent can be added to the bath to react with the dyestuffs. The 
oxidizing agent can be thirty-five percent (35%) hydrogen peroxide added 
at approximately two percent on the weight of the goods (2% O.W.G.). 
Enough oxidizing agent is added to the bath to fully oxidize the 
dyestuffs. The bath is then heated indirectly to about one hundred and 
twenty degrees Fahrenheit (120.degree. F.) at a rate of about five degrees 
Fahrenheit per minute (5.degree. F./min). The vessel is then rotated at 
about twelve revolutions per minute (12 rpm) for about ten minutes (10 
min). The bath is then drained and the vessel is still filled with warm 
water at approximately one hundred degrees Fahrenheit (100.degree. F.). 
The garments are rinsed by rotating the vessel for two minutes (2 min) at 
twelve revolutions per minute (12 rpm). The vessel can then be rotated for 
two minutes (2 min) at approximately twelve revolutions per minute (12 
rpm). The garments can then be extracted and dried. Yarn dyeing or fabric 
dyeing of cellulosic fiber textiles can take two or three times longer 
than the vat dyeing process described above. 
The synthetic fiber portion of knit garments is then dyed as shown in FIG. 
3. Blended fiber garments, such as 65/35 or 50/50 polyester and cotton 
blends, are placed in a pressure vessel and the vessel is still filled 
with warm water at approximately one hundred degrees Fahrenheit 
(100.degree. F.), creating a bath with a liquor ratio at approximately 
15:1, i.e., fifteen (15) parts hot water to one (1) part garment, by 
weight. The bath is then agitated by rotating the vessel at approximately 
twelve revolutions per minute (12 rpm) while leveling agent is added to 
the bath. The leveling agent assists in controlling the dye strike, 
allowing for level transfer of dye from the bath into the garment. One 
such leveling agent is DDP from Southeastern Chemical of Graham, N.C. 
Additional agents can be added to impart soil release characteristics and 
increased wickability to the garments. One such agent is ULTRACAP, also 
from Southeastern Chemical of Graham, N.C. 
After the addition of agents, the pH of the bath is adjusted within a range 
from about four (4 pH) to about five (5 pH), with a bath pH of 
approximately four and one-half (4.5 pH) yielding favorable results. 
Acetic acid can be used to adjust the pH. The adjusted bath, complete with 
leveling agent, is thoroughly mixed. The mixing can occur by rotating the 
vessel at approximately twelve revolutions per minute (12 rpm) for 
approximately five minutes (5 min). Dyes are then slowly added to the 
bath. The dyes can be those available to best dye the fiber desired to be 
dyed, and for polyesters, can include disperse dyes. The dye bath is then 
held at constant volume and heated at a predetermined rate. The 
predetermined rate can be in the range of about three degrees Fahrenheit 
per minute (3.degree. F./min) to about five degrees Fahrenheit per minute 
(5.degree. F./min). A rate of approximately four degrees Fahrenheit per 
minute (40.degree. F./min) can yield satisfactory results. This rate of 
temperature increase is maintained until the dye bath reaches a 
temperature of approximately two hundred and sixty-five degrees Fahrenheit 
(265.degree. F.) and the vessel reaches an internal, relative pressure of 
about twenty-five pounds per square inch (25 psi). The dye bath can be 
heated indirectly, by means of a heat exchanger. The temperature and 
pressure are maintained approximately constant for a significant period of 
time. For example, this period of time can be about thirty minutes (30 
min), but will vary depending on the final shade desired. A longer hold 
time will produce darker colors and a shorter hold time will produce 
lighter colors. The elevated temperatures and pressures cause the dye to 
fully migrate across the cross-sectional diameter of the synthetic fibers. 
This reduces the ring-dye effect described herein and commonly known in 
the industry whereby the dye migrates merely into the periphery of the 
fiber. 
The bath is then indirectly cooled via a heat exchanger to approximately 
one hundred and sixty degrees Fahrenheit (160.degree. F). Indirect cooling 
is desired because direct injection of cold water has a tendency to shock 
the fiber and set wrinkles in the garments. Following cooling, the vessel 
is drained. The vessel can then be still filled with hot water and rinsed 
by rotating the vessel for two minutes (2 min) at twelve revolutions per 
minute (12 rpm). One percent (1%) scouring agent is then added to the 
bath, the bath is heated to approximately one hundred and sixty degrees 
Fahrenheit (160.degree. F.) and held a that temperature for about five 
minutes. The vessel can then be drained again and still filled with warm 
water at approximately one hundred degrees Fahrenheit (100.degree. F). The 
garments can be rinsed by rotating the vessel for two minutes (2 min) at 
twelve revolutions per minute (12 rpm). The vessel is drained and the 
garments can be removed from the pressure vessel and dried. 
The present invention can more completely be understood after a review of 
the following example.

EXAMPLE 
Assume the following. Test runs for dyeing garments were conducted in a 
pressure vessel and an atmospheric vessel under the conditions described 
below. Two hundred pounds (200 lbs) of undyed, bleached knit shirts were 
placed in an atmospheric vessel. Prior to dyeing, a light scour was 
performed to remove excess knitting oils from the shirts. The scour 
comprised two percent (2%) soda ash and two percent (2%) SANDOPURE RSK 
from Clariant Corp. of Charlotte, N.C. which were agitated along with the 
textiles at one hundred and sixty degrees Fahrenheit (160.degree. F.) for 
five minutes (5 min). The garments were then subjected to a warm rinse. 
The vessel was still filled with three thousand pounds (3,000 lbs) of cold 
water at a temperature of ninety degrees Fahrenheit (90.degree. F.). An 
optional anti-oxidizing agent, OXYGUARD, from Southeastern Chemical of 
Graham, N.C., was added to the bath to reduce unwanted oxidation of 
metallic portions of the garments. Eighteen grams per liter (18 g/l) of 
caustic soda were then added to the bath to adjust the pH, which in this 
example was fifty-three and 97/100 pounds (53.97 lb) of caustic soda. The 
caustic soda was fifty percent (50%) strength, in liquid form, and diluted 
with approximately five gallons (5 gal) of water prior to being mixed with 
the bath. To achieve a navy color the following vat dyes were then slowly 
added to the bath: 1.2800% O.W.G. of C.I. Vat Black 27, 5.300% O.W.G. of 
C.I. Vat Black 16, and 0.1800% O.W.G. of C.I. Vat Green 3. The bath was 
then heated to one hundred and forty degrees Fahrenheit (140.degree. F.) 
at a rate of four degrees Fahrenheit per minute (4.degree. F./min). Twelve 
grams per liter (12 g/l) of hydrosulfite were then added to the bath, 
which for the purposes of this example was thirty-five and 98/100 pounds 
(35.98 lb) of hydrosulfite. The bath was held at this temperature for 
twenty minutes (20 min) while the vessel was rotated at twelve revolutions 
per minute (12 rpm). 
While an approximately constant volume was maintained, water was added to 
the bath and the diluted bath was drained until the pH of the bath was 
below approximately ten (10 pH). Then, the liquor ratio was decreased from 
about twenty-to-one (20:1) to about eight-to-one (8:1). After the liquor 
ratio of the bath was decreased, two percent on the weight of the goods 
(2% O.W.G.) of thirty-five percent (35%) hydrogen peroxide was added to 
the bath to fully oxidize the dyestuffs. The bath was then heated 
indirectly to about one hundred and twenty degrees Fahrenheit (120.degree. 
F.) at a rate of about five degrees Fahrenheit per minute (5.degree. 
F./min). The vessel was then rotated at about twelve revolutions per 
minute (12 rpm) for about ten minutes (10 min). The bath was then drained 
and the vessel was still filled with warm water at approximately one 
hundred degrees Fahrenheit (100.degree. F.). The garments were then rinsed 
by rotating the vessel for two minutes (2 min) at twelve revolutions per 
minute (12 rpm). The vessel was then drained, and the shirts were 
de-watered and extracted. 
The garments were then transferred to a pressure vessel. Three thousand 
pounds (3,000 lbs) of hot water, at a temperature of one hundred and 
twenty degrees Fahrenheit (120.degree. F.), were added to the vessel. The 
vessel was then rotated at twelve revolutions per minute (12 rpm) while 
SECCO DDP leveling agent from Southeastern Chemical of Graham, N.C. was 
added to the bath. The amount of leveling agent added was one percent on 
the weight of the goods (1% O.W.G.), which in this particular example was 
a total of two pounds (2 lbs) of leveling agent. Acetic acid was then 
added to adjust the pH of the bath to four and one-half (4.5 pH). The 
amount of acetic acid added was four percent on the weight of the goods 
(4% O.W.G.), which in this particular example was a total of eight pounds 
(8 lbs). The vessel was then rotated at twelve revolutions per minute (12 
rpm) for five minutes (5 min). To achieve a navy color, the following 
disperse dyes were then slowly added to the bath: 1.5160% O.W.G. of C.I. 
Disperse Blue 281, 0.3900% O.W.G. of C.I. Disperse Orange 30, and 0.1240% 
O.W.G. of Disperse Red 177. Also added to the dyebath was the soil release 
agent, ULTRACAP, also from Southeastern Chemical of Graham, N.C. The soil 
release agent enhanced the wickability of the polyester. While the vessel 
was being rotated at twelve revolutions per minute (12 rpm) the dye bath 
was indirectly heated at four degrees Fahrenheit per minute (4.degree. 
F./min) at a constant volume until the bath reached a temperature of two 
hundred and sixty-five degrees Fahrenheit (265.degree. F.) and the vessel 
reached a relative internal pressure of twenty-five pounds, per square 
inch (25 psi). This temperature was maintained for thirty minutes (30 
min). The bath was then indirectly cooled to one hundred and sixty degrees 
Fahrenheit (160.degree. F.) and drained. The vessel was then still filled 
with hot water at one hundred and sixty degrees Fahrenheit (160.degree. 
F.) and a one percent on the weight of the goods (1% O.W.G.) scour 
solution was added to the bath. The textiles were agitated by rotation for 
five minutes and the bath was drained. The vessel was then still filled 
with hot water at one hundred and twenty degrees Fahrenheit (120.degree. 
F.) and rotated at twelve revolutions per minute (12 rpm) for two minutes 
(2 min). The vessel was drained, filled with warm water at one hundred 
degrees Fahrenheit (100.degree. F.), and then rotated at twelve 
revolutions per minute (12 rpm) for two minutes (2 min). The vessel was 
drained and the garments were removed from the machine and dried. 
Conclusion 
It should be understood that the described embodiments merely illustrate 
principles of the invention. Many modifications, additions and deletions 
may be made without departure from the description provided. For example, 
as described herein the elevated temperatures and pressures could be lower 
and be maintained for a longer period of time. Similarly the elevated 
temperatures and pressures could be higher and maintained for a shorter 
period of time. More importantly than any specific temperature or pressure 
cited in this description, the overall manner of temperature and pressure 
control described above facilitates an even, level dye strike, and the 
repeatability of the various temperatures and pressures is critical to 
repeating color matches. Also, for garments that are dyed merely to a 
light shade, there may be no need to dye the cotton component at all. In 
addition, as shown in FIG. 1, a reiterative process could be used to 
adjust color on test batches of textile that have undergone the custom 
dyeing process to ensure that the resulting color matched expectations. 
Therefore, according to the present invention, custom-dyed textiles and 
methods for manufacturing such textiles can be accomplished to attain 
dimensional stability and durability and thereby withstand the rigors of 
commercial laundering facilities. In particular, the invention allows 
textiles to be dyed to custom colors in custom-sized batches after the 
labor intensive portion of the process is completed. Focusing technical 
resources in this manner yields textiles with outstanding colorfastness, 
pilling resistance, dimensional stability and durability. Additionally, it 
has been shown that the process of the invention yields textiles that may 
be overdyed to custom colors in custom-sized batches to extend the useful 
life of stained or otherwise discolored textiles. By performing the dyeing 
and overdyeing portions of the process at a location near the end user of 
the textile, transaction costs related to transportation of goods and 
maintenance of inventories can be minimized.