How to Tie-Dye an Orange Shirt

Tie-dyed shirts are icons of the hippie generation of the 1960s.

While peace signs and tie-dyed shirts are two iconic items from the hippie generation years ago, there's no reason you can't still indulge in the fun craft of tie-dyeing. Tie-dyeing refers to the process of strategically creating patterns on fabric by gathering, twisting, bunching and otherwise manipulating the material and immersing it in various colors and containers of dye. When most people think of the process of tie-dyeing, working with white T-shirts usually comes to mind. However, you're not stuck with just tie-dying white fabric. You can tie-dye an orange shirt just as easily; you just need to be strategic about the color of the dyes you use.

Things You'll Need

• Rubber bands
• Dust mask
• Latex gloves
• 1 cup soda ash fixer
• 1 gallon warm water
• Bucket
• 1 cup warm water
• 8 teaspoons blue or green dye
• 1 tablespoon urea
• Empty squeeze bottle
• Large plastic zipper bag
• Washing machine
• 1/4 cup professional textile detergent
• Hanger

Instructions

1. Fold and tie your orange shirt in a manner that will evoke the patterns you'd like to create. For example, if you'd like swirls in the dye, twist the T-shirt. If you'd like edgy, random patterns, crumple the T-shirt up into a ball. For angular shapes, fold the T-shirt. Once you've manipulated the T-shirt to your liking, wrap rubber bands around it to hold it in place.

2. Put on a dust mask and latex gloves. Pour 1 cup soda ash fixer into 1 gallon of water in a bucket. Submerge your T-shirt in this mixture for 15 minutes.

3. Pour 1 cup warm water into a squeeze bottle along with 8 teaspoons dye and 1 tablespoon urea. Replace the cap on the bottle and shake it well. While you can use any dark color of dye that you like, you really should use a cool color like blue, green or even purple, as these colors will register well on orange, which is a bright, warm color. Since orange is already so bright, you'll need to use 8 teaspoons of the dye, the maximum amount.

4. Remove your T-shirt from the soda ash solution and squeeze it out. Place it in a large zippered plastic bag. Use your squeeze bottle to cover the shirt with dye. Close the bag and allow the shirt to soak in the dye for at least four hours.

5. Remove the T-shirt from the bag and rinse under cold running water. Remove the rubber bands and rinse it again, this time under warm running water, until the liquid runs clear.

6. Put your washing machine on a hot water cycle and allow the machine to fill up. Pour in 1/4 cup professional textile detergent and add your shirt to the machine, allowing it to spin for one full cycle. Air dry the T-shirt on a hanger.

Tips & Warnings

• An major craft store should carry soda ash and urea in their fabric dyeing section.

References

• Dharma Trading: What is Tie Dye?