How to Do Awesome Tie Dye Patterns
If you're like most people, you've done a few tie-dye projects in your life, maybe at a church camp or Boy Scout or Girl Scout camp. And, like most people doing their first few tie-dye projects, you've probably patiently and elaborately tied up a T-shirt into a cool pattern, dunked it in dye or squirted dye on it, then eventually unfolded it to reveal some random splotches of color on a few areas of the shirt, while the rest was still white. Then, you might have wondered how professional tie-dye artists manage to produce elaborate peace signs and guitars in brilliant rainbow colors. The methods they use may not be obvious to a beginner, but anyone can learn them with a little time and effort.
Things You'll Need
- White cotton T-shirt(s)
- Disappearing marker
- Needle
- White polyester sewing thread
- Rubber bands
- Latex or vinyl gloves
- Seven 8-oz. squirt bottles
- Fiber reactive ("Procion") dyes
- Urea
- Soda ash (washing soda can be substituted)
- Plastic bucket
- Old measuring cups
- Old measuring spoons
- Old wire cooling racks
- Cardboard boxes
- Old newspapers
- Textile detergent (optional)
Instructions
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Getting Started
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Invest in professional supplies. If you want to create awesome tie-dye patterns, you don't have to spend a fortune, but you should expect to spend about $100 on your initial setup. You need fiber-reactive dyes, usually sold as "Procion" dyes.
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Mix your dyes carefully. Follow the manufacturer's instructions, but in general, you should mix 2 tsp. of powdered dye and 1 tbsp. of urea with slightly less than 8 oz. of warm water to create 8 oz. of dye. Mix the urea with the water first, then slowly add to the dye, creating a paste and then gradually thinning it. Fill each of six squirt bottles with the colors of the rainbow and fill the last squirt bottle with black.
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3
Mix 1 cup soda ash into 1 gal. warm water in a plastic bucket. It works better if you pour the water first and then sprinkle the soda ash into it. Set it aside.
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Prepare your work area. Line an old cardboard box with newspaper and set a cooling rack on top of it. Repeat for each additional shirt if you are making several. Be sure that you have enough newspapers to catch drips, and that the whole setup is located in a place where some mess is appropriate (e.g., your garage).
Tying
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Figure out what pattern you want to make. Choose something with simple lines, especially while you're still learning. A heart is an excellent design for a beginner.
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Draw or trace your design with disappearing marker (sold at quilting and craft stores) onto your T-shirt.
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Baste over the design, going through both layers of the shirt, using your needle and white polyester thread. Use loose stitches, about one per half-inch to one per inch. After you have sewed around the entire outline of your design, carefully pull the thread tight.
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Wrap a rubber band around the section where you have pulled the thread tight. Place more rubber bands at intervals of a few inches away from this section.
Dyeing
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Soak your tied T-shirt in the soda ash and water mixture for at least five minutes. Don't touch the soda ash mixture with your bare hands. It is caustic and can irritate your skin.
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Change into old clothes you won't mind splattering dye on, and put on latex gloves.
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Pull the soaked shirt out of the soda ash mixture and wring it out thoroughly. Set it on the cooling rack, making sure that no sections hang off the sides where they could drip onto the floor.
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Apply dye to the shirt with the squirt bottles. Use one color per tied section, and apply dye slowly and carefully to avoid splattering nearby sections. For a rainbow shirt, always apply yellow first. As the lightest color, it is easily overpowered by green or orange.
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Squirt dye deep into the folds of the shirt. This is the most important step in producing memorable tie dye patterns. Gently separate the folds with your fingers to make sure the dye is getting through.
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After all the rainbow color dyes have been applied to the shirt, lift it gently with one hand and squirt the entire bottom of the shirt with black dye. Be careful not to let the black drip onto the top of the shirt. When done right, this will produce the much-sought-after "black rainbow" effect.
Finishing
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Let the dyed items sit out overnight in a warm place, at least 100 degrees Fahrenheit if possible. Dyes including Procion Turquoise require at least 125 degrees F to set. For these items, it's best to microwave them the next day before rinsing them out.
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Rinse each item carefully under cool running water. You should wear latex gloves again for this step, unless you want dyed hands. Rinse until the water is mostly clear (no darker than apple juice) before untying the rubber bands, cutting the thread, and rinsing again until the water is as clear as you can get it.
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Fill your washing machine with cold water and a little textile detergent (dish detergent may be substituted). Add rinsed items, then run the wash cycle, but do not allow the washer to spin out completely and begin a rinse cycle. Instead, reset it to a wash cycle, add more detergent, and set the washer to hot. Run the regular wash and rinse cycle, then do a final extra rinse. Your tie-dye clothing should now be colorfast and ready to wear.
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Tips & Warnings
Although Procion dyes are non-toxic, the fine powder can be irritating to the lungs. It's best to wear a dust mask when working with them.
Always wear old clothes and use old tools when tie-dyeing. Clothes inevitably get stained, and kitchen tools are not safe for food after being used for dyeing.
