Want to save some cash but still be on trend? You can tie-dye like a pro, and it’s not just
for t-shirts anymore!
Awhile back, I wanted our family to wear matching t-shirts on vacation, and decided to recycle some of our old comfy ones with tie-dye. We got tons of compliments when we wore them.
And four years later, after many wearings and washings, those shirts are still vibrant and wearable!
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| This was originally a white t-shirt that I got volunteering for Special Olympics |
Project ideas – if it is (or used to be) white, gray or pastel, try it tie dye:
- Old t-shirt you love but it is stained or torn (If it has writing or design, even better)
- Comfy canvas tennis shoes or vans that are dingy or stained
- Cotton canvas bag from a thrift store, or a new one
- Cloth hat, grungy or brand new
- Extra Large men’s shirt to use as a dress or swim cover-up
- New canvas tennis shoes like these from H&M
- Cotton scarf like this gauzy one on Amazon
- A baby wrap like this one from ebay.
- Cotton pillow case and sheets set for college dorm
- Make a neck gaiter from a cotton t-shirt and then dye it
- T-shirts for a group (reunion, team, etc), buy the cheap white ones and tie-dye!
Before we began our “matching” t-shirt project, I knew I
needed to brush up on the basics. Back
in the 80s, my tie-dye projects from Girl Scouts would last about 2 wearings,
and had to be washed on their own or everything in the machine would be ruined. So, I did some research for a
better product.
Not paid to say it - but I'd like to be...
If you want long lasting, vibrant tie-dye projects, I HIGHLY
RECOMMEND you start with Dharma Trading Co.
(They’re not paying me to say that!)
You can truly get nearly all the supplies you need in one
of their kits, which range from $15
to over $50, depending on how many items you want to dye.
Some people even use these kits to make lots of shirts and
sell them – fundraiser!
We purchased a 3-color
group kit, and then supplemented with extra
dye in blue and black. Then we just
needed: the shirts (or other items to be
dyed), scissors, an old plastic pitcher and containers, funnel, 5-gallon bucket,
plastic spoons for stirring, paper towels for messes, plastic grocery bags (at
least one for each item to be dyed), a protected work surface, a large box or
can for trash and a gentle clothing detergent.
This is a perfect project for a warm day outdoors. Fiber reactive dyes work best if they stay
over 70° F.
Tips on choosing supplies:
- For the item to be dyed, natural fibers work best – cotton, rayon, bamboo, flax, linen. Polyester does not absorb dye well but 10% or less is OK. Even if the item is cotton, stitches often stay white because the thread is polyester or includes spandex. If your item includes even a little spandex, the color will be less vibrant. Plastic or vinyl trim or decals will not be dyed at all – they will stay the same color.
- A white item will give you true colors. However, you can also do cool things with gray or pastel items, particularly tone-on-tone designs – try dark blue over gray, magenta over pink, purple over pastel blue, or black over anything.
- Don’t use a kit or method that has soda ash already mixed with the dye. Unless you are super-fast and experienced, soak the item in soda ash first (Step 3) and apply dye later (Step 5). Soda ash changes the pH of the cellulose fiber so that the dye reacts with the fiber, making a permanent connection that holds the dye in place. However, as soon as the soda ash touches the dye, its bonding ability begins to get weaker. Soaking the fabric first allows you time to dye several items without worrying about how fast the bond is breaking up in your dye mixture bottle.
- You will often need to double the amount of blue dye to get good color saturation.
- Black dyes are tricky. Read more about choosing black here.
- Newspapers are not really a good work surface – the ink may transfer to your items and the dye will soak through. We used $1 plastic tablecloths over plastic card tables.
- Use gloves and a mask! I found out the hard way that a good dye will last a long time on your skin – over a month! Also be sure you have old clothes that you don’t mind splattering – especially for the rinsing process (Step 7).
- Scheduling – Tie-Dying is fun but it takes a little time. Plan on 2-3 hours the first day (Steps 1-6) and about 2 hours the next day (Steps 7 and 8).
Step 1 -- Prepare
If the item is new, wash first in warm water and a good
simple detergent with no fabric softener.
You don’t want any oils, dirt or anything that might keep dye from
soaking in.
While it is washing,
- read though all directions and links to the end
- think about the design you want and colors you will use
- be sure you have all your supplies in one place. You’re working with chemicals and don’t want to stop in the middle!
Fold and tie (if your item is a t-shirt or other fabric)
with rubber bands. There are many ways to fold and tie.
Other designs: Starflower, Scrunch Dye, Symmetry
Step 3 -- Soak
Soak the tied garments (or shoes or hat that is not tied) in
Soda Ash and water for about 15 minutes.
If you have different types of items, soak t-shirts first and shoes
last. Don’t soak too many at a
time. We used 8 oz. of Soda Ash Fixer and a gallon of
warm water, mixed in a 5-gallon bucket. Wear your mask to mix!
If your item is more delicate, like a thin t-shirt or scarf,
soaking for 5-10 minutes should be OK.
If you are dying shoes, put them in upside down so the fabric soaks in
the most water.
After soaking, squeeze out the liquid back into your
bucket. Squeeze as much as you can
without disturbing your ties.
You can reuse the same soda ash solution until it’s gone. We soaked 7 tees in 2 batches, then soaked 2
hats, then a pair of shoes and still had some left. We moved on to mixing dyes (step 4) while the
first batch was soaking, and then applied dye (step 5) to batch 1 while the next
batch was soaking.
Step 4 -- Mix
Be sure you’re wearing old clothes, gloves and mask from
here forward – steps 4 - 7.
Mix your dyes – follow directions on your products. With the Dharma Trading dyes, we mixed a big pitcher
of urea and warm water, and then used that urea/water mixture to gradually mix each
color in a plastic container, and pour it into a squirt bottle. Urea helps the dye dissolve evenly so you don’t
get little “freckles” from unmixed dye.
I always thought that hotter water means longer lasting dye,
but for the fiber reactive procion dyes, you do not want stovetop-hot
water. They are best at 105°. Some will call that “lukewarm”, but for me it
is about as hot as I can stand to wash my hands – basically tap water on the
warmest setting.
Don’t forget that blues may need more dye mix to be vibrant –
possibly double.
If you want to use lots of colors, but only have 3 squirt
bottles, you can mix the primary colors first and use them, then mix the
leftover primary colors together to create secondary colors (blue and yellow =
green, red and blue = purple, etc).
Step 5 -- Dye
Saturate your items with dye. Squirt from the bottle according to the
design you want. After applying dye to
one side, flip garment over and repeat the process.
You will need a total of at least 4 oz of dye per shirt,
maybe more. So if you are using 4 or
more colors, you need 1 oz of each soaked into each shirt. If
only 2 colors, you need 2 oz of each. Put
the tip of the squeeze bottle into the folds for less white on the final
product. I know, it seems like it is
turning black, but keep going - the final product will be vibrant.
For shoes or hats, you may not need quite as much saturation
since they are not tied. Squirt a narrow
stream for each color, or dab on heavily with a sponge brush. You may want to put on each color and wait a
minute or so to let it spread before adding the next one. Don’t worry if colors overlap a little, or
look much darker than your desired end product.
But, avoid adding so much dye that the item turns “muddy”.
Step 6 -- Cure
Put each dye-saturated shirt or other item in a separate plastic
bag and twist or tie the top to enclose it. Let them sit for 24 hours. You want the projects to stay wet and warm (70° F or higher) during the curing process. If the outdoor temps are warm, just leave the
bags out in the sun, but be sure to bring them indoors if the night time temps
will fall below 70° F. I’ve heard some
people cure their items under an electric blanket for only 6 hours, but generally
room temperature is fine.
Step 7 -- Rinse
Leaving the ties on, rinse each item separately under
cold running water (outdoors with the hose is easiest), to stop the dye
reaction. (Don’t dump them all in a pile
below the one you’re rinsing, and don’t let the water splash onto the shirts
you already rinsed.)
This is messy and a lot of dye will come out – again, wear
your gloves! Rinse really well,
squeezing and rinsing more.
Next, take the items in to the kitchen sink or tub and rinse
each one separately in warm water while you untie the folds. Keep rinsing until the water runs clear.
Step 8 -- Wash
Wash the items in gentle detergent (like Dreft) or textile
detergent for a full cycle of your machine.
If you have more than 8 shirts, you may need two loads. Washing too many newly-dyed items together may
cause the colors to get muddy.
For a scarf, shoes or a hat, use the gentle cycle, or just
hand-wash and then air dry.
For this first load, don’t put any other items in the
washer. To be completely cautious, you may want to
wash the items separately for the next few wearings. However, we have washed ours multiple times
with other colors, and never had a problem!
Have fun and please send me pics of your work!
If you see a good video, please send me the
link and I will add in to this article for more resources.
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