How to Make a Heart on a Bag With Tie-Dye If It's Freehand
Freehand tie-dye is a form of dying fabric that uses tie-dye powders that are mixed into a liquid and then placed in spray bottles. The dye is sprayed on over the shapes and letters of stencils instead of being tied up with rubber bands and soaking in the dye. Free-hand tie-dye gives you the freedom to choose where the dye goes onto the fabric. You can make you own freehand tie-dye heart bag with your favorite colors for a personalized tote bag.
Things You'll Need
- Plastic painting sheets
- Cardboard
- Over-sized old shirt
- Dust mask
- Safety goggles
- Rubber gloves
- Fabric bag
- Large plastic bucket, 3 gallon
- Sodium carbonate, 3/4 c.
- Wooden dowel
- Urea, 3/4 c.
- Meta-nitrobenzene sulfonic acid sodium salt, 2 tsp
- Bucket, 1-gallon
- Large disposable cups
- Tie-dye powders, assorted colors
- Wooden craft sticks
- Plastic spray bottles, 1 per dye color
- Large heart stencil, 6-inch
Instructions
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1
Add 3/4 cup sodium carbonate and 1 gallon water to a 3-gallon plastic bucket. Stir it to dissolve the sodium carbonate with a wooden dowel. Submerge the cloth bag into the mixture and soak it for 25 minutes.
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2
Make the chemical water liquid base for the dye while the cloth bag is soaking. Add 1 quart warm water, 3/4 cup urea, 2 tsp. meta-nitrobenzene sulfonic acid sodium salt into a 1-gallon bucket and stir it. Pour 1 cup of the chemical water into as many large disposable cups as colored dyes you will use.
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3
Add the tie-dye powder to the chemical liquid base. Make bright strong colored dye by adding 6 tsp. dye powder to a cup. To make a medium shade, add 4 tsp. dye powder. To make a light or pastel shade, add 2 tsp. of dye powder. Carefully stir the dye powder in the chemical water until it fully dissolves with wooden craft sticks. Slowly pour each dye into a plastic spray bottle so that you do not spill it.
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4
Remove the bag from the sodium carbonate water. If you want the dye to be feathery or marbled in appearance, wring it out enough so that it doesn't drip but is still heavy and soaked with water. If you want the dye to make clean lines and spots, wring it out as best you can to get out as much liquid as possible. Set the bag down on the cardboard on your workspace. Place the large heart stencil onto the center of the bag.
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5
Spray the dye onto the canvas bag through the holes in the stencil. Create color patterns with the dye as desired. Saturate the fabric thoroughly with each dye that you are using. Once you are done spraying the dye, let it sit overnight or for 12 hours to dry.
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6
Wash out the excess or "loose" dye by placing the bag under cold running water. You will see a lot of the dye coming out of the fabric with the water; this is what you want. When the amount of dye in the water has become minimal, rinse it with warm tap water. Wash the bag in your washing machine with detergent and hang it up to line dry.
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Tips & Warnings
Cover your workspace with plastic painting sheets. Cover the plastic sheet with newspaper. Set cardboard down onto the newspaper. The cardboard will be the work surface when you spray the free-hand tie-dye onto your bag.
Wash the cloth bag in your washing machine to get rid of any oils that may interfere with the dying process.
Put on an over-sized old shirt that you don't mind getting stained. Put on a dusk mask, safety goggles and rubber gloves.
Always wear eye and skin protection when working with tie-dyes.
Use tie-dyes in a well ventilated area.
