Another scenario is that you simply didn’t use enough dye in yoursolution. Refer to our guide on how to mix bottles to make sure you used enough dye powder in your mix. If both of these scenarios are untrue and you made sure to use soda ash and plenty of dye then there is still one possibility. The most likely scenario at this point is that youdidn’t let the shirt batch for a long enough period of time. You should

let the shirt sit for 4 to 8 hours after dyeing for proper dye reaction.

Why did some threads stay white after dyeing?

This has everything to do with the material of the thread itself. The most common scenario is for the sewing threads to stay white after dyeing a shirt. It simply means that the threads are made from a material that cannot be dyed with fiber-reactive dyes.

Clothing will often have polyester sewing threads since it’s both cheaper and longer-lasting than cotton thread. Polyester cannot be dyed with conventional fiber-reactive dyes so it will stay white. This is often not a big deal, but can compromise the look of your design in certain cases. Try to look for clothing which is made of 100% cotton and also has the threads made of cotton or other natural fiber.

Another scenario is for some threads on the shirt itself to stay
white. If this is the case you probably have a shirt that is made from a mixture of fibers, most commonly cotton mixed with polyester. Dyeing a shirt which has more than 50% polyester can prove problematic as the undyed threads will leave your design looking dull. Make sure to use 100% natural fiber shirts.

What color will I actually get?

It all depends on the dye solution you prepared and how you applied it to the fabric. You can check out our bottle mixing guide which will guide you through the process of choosing and preparing the right color for you. The colors will be a bit paler than what you see during the dying process. This is because there is a limit to the color saturation when dyeing cotton fabric.

In general, the color you get after the tie-dye process will be
similar to what you would expect. A green will give you green, a red will give you red. The main difference is in the color saturation. This is especially true after the shirt has had time to dry out. While it’s still wet, the shirt will display colors that are far darker than the actual color on the shirt. The same effect can be applied to any shirt, wether tie-dyed or not.

Do you add hot or cold water to tie-dye powder?

You should add lukewarm water to your bottles when preparing your dye solutions. Adding water that’s too cold can make it hard for the dye powder to dissolve. Adding water that’s too hot can make the dye react with the water, exhausting the dye before it reaches the fabric. Using lukewarm water is the perfect blend of easy dissolution and dye stability. Always put the dye first in the bottle before adding the water, this will help you mix the dye without making clumps. Check out our full post on the preparation of dye bottles for tie-dye.

How many rubber bands do you need to tie-dye a shirt?

The number of rubber bands you need depends largely on the design you’re going for. Generally you’ll use three to ten rubber bands, it’s all up to you. The role of rubber bands is to hold a folded shirt neatly in place in order to dye it. The more rubber bands you use, the tighter the shirt will be. Using too many can cause the shirt to fold on itself and can be a nuisance. Try experimenting and follow your instinct. We even had success tie-dyeing without rubber bands, so everything is relative. Additionally you can use string instead of rubber bands, giving you more control. Check out our full post on the alternative materials to bind your shirt.

How do you make tie-dye set faster?

The best way to supercharge the reaction between dye and fabric is to increase the ambient temperature. The hotter it gets, the faster the dye reacts. Try moving your shirt to a warm room. Use a space heater to heat up a room in order to set the dye faster.

Can you tie-dye without bottles?

There’s many ways to tie-dye and there’s even a way to do it without bottles. You might be familiar with the normal process involving the preparation of dye bottles. What you might not know is that the bottle is entirely optional. You can just as easily use the dye, soda ash, and water and place them directly on the shirt. Simply place your dye powder on the folded shirt, followed by the soda ash. Finally you can add the water. A common method to tie-dye this way is to add the water in the form of ice cubes which will melt and mix with the dye and soda.

Should tie-dye sit in the sun?

It’s a pretty thing to picture in your head. Your freshly dyed shirt sitting outside in the light, bathed by the sun. While it may sound like a good idea, it doesn’t provide you with any benefit. Leaving the shirt to sit outside while the dye reaction is happening can actually harm your result by drying out the uppermost layer of the shirt and leaving patchy areas of pale fabric.

Will my tie-dye fade?

After the tie-dye process is complete and the shirt has been properly washed you shouldn’t see any fading or discoloration. The dyes we use in tie-dye are permanent and bond with the fabric for life. The only thing able to separate them are chemical reactions as is the case with bleaching.

Can you dye with food coloring?

While you can technically change the color of a fabric by using food coloring, the result leaved something to be desired. The colors will often be pale and won’t stay for very long. Dyeing cellulosic fibers with food coloring is out of the question, it can only stain and won’t be permanent. It is, however, possible to dye nylon with food coloring.

How to dye with a washing machine?

A neat little trick to use if you want to dye effortlessly is to use
the power of your washing machine. Simply prepare your dye solution like you would before tie-dyeing. Start up a wash cycle in your washing machine and let it fill up with water. Once it’s filled you can add in the fabric and the dye solution. Close the lid and let the machine run its cycle. You should use warm water for better even better results.

Make sure to wash the machine after the dyeing is complete. The machine itself won’t get stained by the dyes since it’s made of metal and is non-porous. Still, this process can leave dye residues on the interior walls of the machine that can then stain other clothing. Make sure not to stain any clothes you might put in it by washing the machine or by starting a new cycle with old towels and dark clothes.

What can I use instead of soda ash?

If you don’t have any soda ash and you can’t find a way to buy it you might be wondering about using alternatives. The best alternative is washing soda, which is made from the same molecule and is a common household product. Do not try to use baking soda as it will simply not work – it’s not alkaline enough. Another alternative, although we do not recommend it, is sodium silicate. Also called liquid glass, it serves the same purpose as soda ash but is more tricky to manipulate and should be handled with care. Do not let sodium silicate dry on your shirt or on any surface. It will harden and become almost impossible to remove.

Do you rinse soda ash before dyeing the shirt?

Assuming that you’ve soaked the shirt in a soda ash solution in order to prepare it, you should not rinse off the soda. Rinsing the shirt would remove the soda ash. You should leave the soda ash on the shirt in order for it to activate the dye during the dyeing process. Additionally, instead of soaking the shirt in soda ash, you can simply add the soda in your dye bottles in a 1:1 ratio with the dye. This way you get the benefit of activating your dyes without the hassle of soaking the shirt.

Common mistakes to avoid

One of the most common mistakes when starting out is to try and tie-dye any old shirt laying about. You should always make sure that the shirt contains a reasonable amount of cotton fibers or other natural fibers. You don’t want to go through the efforts of tie-dyeing a shirt, waiting in anticipation for the result, only to watch in horror as all the colors wash away in the sink. This all happened to me and I was sad. Check out our full post on how to dye different kinds of fabrics.

Using the wrong dyes

The most worthy dyes are fiber-reactive dyes and we use them for a reason. Not only are they economical and practical, they can be used reliably at room temperature, a very important and unique characteristic. While there are other dyes capable of dyeing fabric, they all have major drawbacks that make them unsuitable for tie-dye. The most common perpetrator is all-purpose dye, which can only color your fabric at near-boiling temperatures. We have a full post on the best dyes to use for tie-dye.

Using too much dye

A common occurrence is to use too much dye when dyeing the shirt. Flooding the shirt will more often than not result in wasted dye. The fabric has a saturation point over which it cannot accept any more water in its pores. Pouring dye over and area that is already clogged with water will only waste your dye as it will flow away and into your tray.

Using too little dye

Using too little dye on your shirt can leave you with white areas where the dye wasn’t able to penetrate. This can be a good thing or a bad thing depending on the kind of results you expected. Leaving white areas can actually bring life to your design by elevating the level of contrast. If you wish to completely saturate the area with color, be sure to squirt dye between the folds of the shirt and use enough dye to penetrate the center of the fabric.

Spreading dyes on other colors

This can either a good thing or a bad thing depending on the design you’re going for. Tie-dye uses a lot of contrasting colors, often using complementary colors right next to each other. Be careful when squirting your dye so as to not mix the colors where you don’t want them to be mixed. While it can complement your design, mixing many colors will often result in a dull brown if you’re not careful.

Forgetting to use soda ash

Another common mistake is forgetting to use soda ash as part of the tie-dye process. Without the addition of soda the environment won’t be alkaline enough for the dye-fabric reaction to take place. This will impact the look of your shirt in a major since the dye won’t be able to react nearly as much. This often results in extremely pale colors and can ruin your project.

Not preparing the fabric

In order for the proper absorption of the dye solution, it is imperative that the fabric is void of any foreign residue. We always recommend to wash any fabric you plan on using for your tie-dye project. This is especially true for new shirts that have never been washed before. This is because suppliers will often use waxy compounds to protect the shirts after production. These compounds can prevent the dye from penetrating fully in the fabric. Washing will eliminate all possibility of contamination with a foreign product.

Using old, exhausted dyes

If you’ve ever used an old bottle of dye that’s been sitting quietly on a shelf for a while you will know that dyes really do lose strength over time. This is especially true for dye solutions which contain soda ash. We recommend using fresh dyes when possible. Using old, exhausted dyes will leave you with less than satisfactory results. Old dye solutions can often look fine to the naked eye, better to test them out on a piece of rag beforehand to make sure they still work.

Temperature too cold

Make sure the room is at least 70ºF or above. While fiber-reactive dyes are able to react at room temperature in the presence of soda ash, they still need some warmth to properly function. The higher the temperature, the quicker and stronger the reaction. Some people can have poor results when dyeing in winter because their room is too cold. It this is the case, try letting the dye sit for a longer amount of time.

Using hard water

Water from wells can dull out your colors. Heavily chlorinated water can also have a negative effect. You will often not have any problem using tap water, but something the culprit might be the one you least expect. If you find your water suspicious you can test it for minerals and see wether your water is too hard. A solution to this problem involves either using filters to remove most of the minerals or to use pure water.

While cotton is the most common fabric to tie-dye, you might want to dye something that isn’t made out of cotton. There are in fact many different kinds of fabric that can be dyed. When talking about fabric we really are talking about the fibers that compose them. Using dyes will change the color of the fibers, letting you create designs on the fabric. You can actually color just about any type of fibers, it only requires the right tools and techniques.

In tie-dye we are used to dyeing cotton shirts, but what about dyeing clothes made out of other types of fibers? Cellulose fibers (like cotton) can be dyed using common fiber-reactive dyes. These dyes will also work on silk but not on wool, which prefers acid dyes. Synthetic fibers, on the other hand, require the use of disperse dyes. 

Cellulose – Fiber-reactive dyes
Silk – Fiber-reactive dyes and acid dyes
Wool – Fiber-reactive dyes and acid dyes
Nylon – Acid dyes and disperse dyes
Polyester – Disperse dyes
Acrylic – Disperse dyes and basic dyes

Cellulose and silk are the only fibers that can be dyed reliably at room temperature. This enables you to pour the dyes directly on the fabric and let’s you use the full breadth of tie-dye techniques. In contrast, wool and synthetic fibers require heating in order to dye well, and thus are often dyed in dye baths. Even though it limits your possibilities to only immersion dyeing, you can still use the many tie-dye folding techniques prior to immersion.

Never use a container you plan on making food with.

Cellulose fibers (cotton, rayon, linen, hemp)

This category includes fibers that come from plants. Some of these fibers are used in their natural form while others are made by processing and refining plant matter into cellulose fibers. Wether natural of manufactured, these fibers are mainly composed of cellulose, which makes them dye similarly.

Natural cellulose fibers include cotton, linen, hemp, jute, ramie, and abaca.

Semi-synthetic rayon is often manufactured by using wood pulp or bamboo.

What dyes to use on cellulose

By far, the best kind of dyes to use for cellulose fibers is your typical fiber-reactive dyes. This dye can be used on any fabric composed of cellulose fibers with exceptional results. The advantages of this dye is it’s safety, ease of use, and the fact you can dye at room temperature. You will need soda ash as an additive to increase the solution’s pH and prime the dye for reaction. Mix and match different colors to create interesting combinations.

How to dye cellulose fibers

The standard tie-dye process works beautifully on any fabric made from cellulose fibers. Simply follow the procedure as you would with a cotton shirt.

1. Mix your dyes – 1 tsp dye, 1 tsp soda ash, 250ml water in a bottle.
2. Prepare your fabric– Wet, then wring out the fabric to get it damp.
3. Fold and bind the fabric – Use one of many techniques.
4. Dye the fabric – Use a pattern to get accurate result.
5. Let the dye react – 4 to 8 hours for strong colors.
6. Rinse out the fabric – Remove excess dye from the fabric.
7. Wash the fabric – Wash it in cold water, the fabric is now ready

Protein fibers (wool, silk)

Protein fibers come from animals. Most of these are in the form of animal hair, except silk which comes from insects. Despite their different origin, all types of wool and silk can be dyed in a similar way. All animal fibers are composed of the same class of chemicals : proteins. 

Wool

Wool fibers are commonly made from the hair of sheep. Other popular animal hair fibers include alpaca, angora, cashmere mohair, and vicuna. Just about any animal hair fibers can be dyed using this method. Unlike cellulose fibers such as cotton, wool is very sensitive to high pH solutions. Soda ash, which is typically use for tie-dye, would actually harm the wool.

Acid dyes work very well with wool. Regular fiber-reactive dyes can also be used, but will not dye as strongly. Use a mild acid to lower the pH of the solution. Citric acid and vinegar are often used for this purpose, with citric acid being more practical.

What dyes to use on wool

Acid dyes are the preferred method of dyeing wool. They work at higher temperatures, in slightly acidic solutions. You will need a heated dye bath which is acidified with citric acid. Fiber-reactive dyes can also be used as acid dyes, they will work on wool.

How to dye wool fibers

The easiest way to dye wool is to use a stainless steel or enamel pot on the stove top. Prepare your dye bath before adding the wool to it. Slowly bring the dye bath to temperature. Gently stir the wool and don’t expose it to sudden temperatures changes to reduce the risk of felting. Use either citric acid or vinegar to lower the pH. Citric acid has the advantage of being more economical and not having a smell. It takes a few minutes for the dye to properly react and form bonds with the wool.

1. Measure 2 to 4% of the dry weight of the wool in dye powder. Put the dye powder in a stainless steel pot.
2. Fill the pot with enough water for the wool to swim freely. Stir well to mix the dye.
3. Add the wool to the pot and stir gently.
4. Bring the pot to a simmer.
5. Add 1 Tablespoon of citric acid (or 1/4 cup vinegar) per pound of dry wool. Don’t pour directly onto the wool.
6. Maintain the temperature to just below boiling. Stir occasionally for 30 minutes. Stir gently and carefully to prevent felting.
7. Turn off the heat and let the dye bath cool off slowly.
8. Wash the wool in warm water to remove excess dye.

Silk

Silk fibers can be dyed using a variety of dyes, they are much more versatile than wool. Silk is less sensitive to high pH compared to wool. This property of silk means that you can actually dye it using the traditional tie-dye method at room temperature. Alternatively, you can dye them like wool by using a heated dye bath.

What dyes to use on silk

A whole variety of dyes can be used to color silk. The preferred method is to use fiber-reactive dyes. They let you dye the silk directly just like you would with cotton fabric. The next best option are acid dyes, which can be applied following the same process as wool.

How to dye silk fibers

You can use the tie-dye process with silk as you would with a regular cotton fabric. Start by preparing your dyes by mixing them in bottles along with soda ash and water. Continue by folding the fabric using any tie-dye folding technique you like. When you’re ready, simply let the dye pour onto the fabric until you are satisfied. After waiting for the dye to react fully, you are then ready to rinse out the excess dye.

1. Mix your dyes – 1 tsp dye, 1 tsp soda ash, 250ml water in a bottle.
2. Prepare a your fabric– Wet, then wring out the fabric to get it damp.
3. Fold and bind the fabric – Use one of many techniques.
4. Dye the fabric – Use a pattern to get accurate result.
5. Let the dye react – 4 to 8 hours for strong colors.
6. Rinse out the fabric – Remove excess dye from the fabric.
7. Wash the fabric – Wash it in cold water, the fabric is now ready

Synthetic fibers (polyester, nylon, acrylic)

Synthetic fibers are different types of plastics made from petroleum products. They are formed into thin, long filaments that are then woven to create fabrics. Synthetic fibers require a different approach and will not work with common reactive dyes. Their hydrophobic nature require the use of specialized dyes. Disperse dyes, along with dispersing agents, are the answer to this problem.

Polyester

Polyester requires very high temperatures of 100°C to 130°C in order to dye. For this reason, it’s not recommended to attempt dyeing polyester at home. Some results can still be obtained by dyeing in a boiling-hot dye bath, but the color will be paler.

What dyes to use on polyester

Disperse dyes are the only thing that dyes polyester reliably. They require the use of a dye carrier, which is hard to buy in small quantity. 

How to dye polyester fibers

The process of dyeing polyester is tricky due to the high temperatures involved. The heat opens up the fiber’s pores, letting the dye penetrate. It is still possible to do it using the stove top method and a dye carrier.

1. Fill a stainless steel pot with enough water to let the fabric swim freely.
2. Weigh out your dye powder. 4g of dye powder for 3L of water.
3. Dissolve the dye into a cup of lukewarm water.
4. Add the dye solution to the pot of water and stir well.
5. Add 3g of dispersing agent to the pot and stir well.
6. Add the fabric to the dye bath and stir gently.
7. Bring the pot to a boil, maintain the temperature for 30 minutes.
8. Allow the bath to cool to 50°C and check the color. If necessary, add more dye and boil for a further 10 minutes.
9. Repeat the previous step until you reach the desired result.
10. Let the dye bath cool, then remove the fabric.
11. Rinse the fabric in warm water to remove excess dye. Finally, wash the fabric.

Nylon and polyamide

Nylon, despite being a synthetic fiber, has a unique chemistry that let’s you dye it with either acid dyes or disperse dyes. In either case, you need a heated dye bath to achieve a sufficient temperature. Interestingly, solid nylon objects can also be dyed using the same process.

What dyes to use on nylon

Acid dyes are the clear choice for dyeing nylon at home since they are easier to use than disperse dyes. You will need citric acid to lower the pH of the solution.

How to dye nylon fibers

Nylon fibers can be dyed just like wool. The easiest way to do so is to use the stove top method. Start by preparing your dye bath in a stainless steel or enamel pot. Add the fabric, then bring to a near-boil. Add citric acid to lower the pH. Maintain the temperature and stir gently for a few minutes. Unlike wool, you don’t have to fear felting.

1. Measure 2 to 4% of the dry weight of the nylon fabric in dye powder. Put the dye powder in a stainless steel pot.
2. Fill the pot with enough water for the fabric to swim freely. Stir well to mix the dye.
3. Add the nylon fabric to the pot and stir gently.
4. Bring the pot to a simmer.
5. Add 1 Tablespoon of citric acid (or 1/4 cup vinegar) per pound of dry fabric. Don’t pour directly onto the fabric.
6. Maintain the temperature to just below boiling. Stir occasionally for 30 minutes.
7. Turn off the heat and let the dye bath cool off slowly.
8. Wash the fabric in warm water to remove excess dye.

Acrylic

Acrylic can be dyed with either disperse dyes or basic dyes. Disperse dyes will result in paler color. Basic dyes are reserved for industrial use as they are difficult to handle. Be careful not to cool down the acrylic too quickly as it can damage it.

Disperse dyes are the recommended choice for dyeing acrylic at home. They require the use of a dye carrier, which can be hard to get in small quantities.

How to dye acrylic fibers

Acrylic can be dyed just like polyester.

1. Fill a stainless steel pot with enough water to let the fabric swim freely.
2. Weigh out your dye powder. 4g of dye powder for 3L of water.
3. Dissolve the dye into a cup of lukewarm water.
4. Add the dye solution to the pot of water and stir well.
5. Add 3g of dispersing agent to the pot and stir well.
6. Add the fabric to the dye bath and stir gently.
7. Bring the pot to a boil, maintain the temperature for 30 minutes.
8. Allow the bath to cool to 50°C and check the color. If necessary, add more dye and boil for a further 10 minutes.
9. Repeat the previous step until you reach the desired result.
10. Let the dye bath cool, then remove the fabric.
11. Rinse the fabric in warm water to remove excess dye. Finally, wash the fabric.

$20.00

colors and everything you need to color

123

This amazing shirt for you

this product is great for

colors and everything you need to color

• $20.00 – $25.00 Select options

Black Backed Pastel Spiral Shirt

Page 2

$20.00

colors and everything you need to color

123

This amazing shirt for you

this product is great for

colors and everything you need to color

• $20.00 – $25.00 Select options

Black Backed Pastel Spiral Shirt

In this section we will dive deep into the tools needed to tie-dye a piece of clothing. You will learn what supplies are the best and where you can get them.

You’ll find what you need wether you’re a beginner or an aspiring professional.

This list of materials is complementary to our guide on the processes. Combine these resources to further your understanding of the craft.

With supplies in hand and instructions in mind, the world of tie-dye will open its doors.

1. Fabric

What kinds of fabric can I dye?

There are many types of fabric you can dye.

The world of tie-dye is full of possibilities and that includes the very fabric you can dye.

You can dye any natural fiber with fiber-reactive dyes. Cotton, linen, hemp, jute, silk and wool to name a few.

You also are not limited to shirts, the list of items you can dye is massive. You could as well dye a pair of socks, a bandana, a massive tapestry, yoga leggings and so forth.

What if I try to dye a synthetic material such as polyester, nylon, acrylic or spandex?

Your results will vary but usually you will find that at first the dye seems to impregnate the fabric,
but as soon as you rinse it the dye will come right off.

There are specialty dyes that deal with synthetic fibers but we won’t get into them here.

So, let’s say I want to dye a lot of shirts, what brand of shirt should I get?
For practicing and experimenting, nothing can beat cheap, basic shirts. Brands that make good, cheap shirts are : Gildan, Hanes, and Fruit of the Loom among others.

Yet their cheap price comes with some severe flaws such as poorer feel and build quality. These shirts are often used as part of work uniforms.

You can tolerate lesser comfort from a work shirt but they not enjoyable for everyday life.

What if you want to get serious about dyeing?

Let’s say you are past the experimentation stage or want to turn your art into a business.

Advanced tie-dyers are better off with high quality apparel. There are brands that sell premium shirts in bulk.

For a higher price you can buy apparel that doesn’t compromise.

There’s are a few brands that we use and can recommend.

American Apparel, Bella&Canvas are the brands we are most impressed by.

These are similar in quality to what you can find in a clothing store.

2. Dye

The type of dye which is most interesting for our use it called a fiber-reactive dye.
This type of dye attaches itself to the fibers of the fabric. The bond is so strong that the effect is permanent.

No amount of washing is able to separate the dye from the fabric. This is why a tie-dyed shirt can last its whole life with minimal fading of the colors.

What brand of dye should I get?
We personally tried a few different brands at our workshop and there is one that stands out above the rest. While it is possible to have some success using other brands, we find that they are lacking in certain ways.

The dyes we use are Procion fiber-reactive dyes from Dharma Trading.
They work simply and effectively and we never had a problem with their dye or their service.

You can get it very cheaply when you buy it directly from them, and can appreciate significant discounts when buying in bulk.

This is all-around a very cheap hobby to partake in when you know where to get the good stuff, which is here.
If you can’t justify buying a few pounds of dye you can get a ready-made kit ideal for beginners and first-timers here.

3. Bottles

Squirt bottles to mix and apply the dye.
Elastic bands to tie the shirt.

4. Water

The technique refers specifically to the way the apparel is folded and tied.
The folding process makes it possible to dye different patterns into a shirt.

5. Soda ash

Soda ash serves a very important purpose for tie-dyeing. In fact, sodium carbonate in your water raises the pH of the soak which will strongly help the fiber reactive dye to adhere onto the fabric fibers.

How much soda ash should i use?

Also called washing soda, you should use in proportion of 1 cup per gallon of water. 

6. Gloves

Gloves are important. We yet tried to work with dishwashing gloves. It works if this is the only gloves you have but the dexterity with these isn’t the best you can have.

Nitrile gloves are usually the one you want. They have much higher feel to manipulate your cloth. Even if it is said on the box for a single use, you can wear them for many session, as long as you keep them clean with a quick riinig with water.

7. Urea

Urea serves the purpose of a better absorption of powdered dye in the water. This means that using urea can give you a richer color.

8. Work surface

We recommend you get yourself a working space with a table or desk.You’ll also need a plastic tarp to cover the table. Alternatively you

can use cookie trays lined with parchment paper.

Also called bleach dyeing, it involves removing existing color on a cloth.
The bleached spots can be left as they are or they can be dyed for an interesting effect.

Tie dye with bleach is a delicate activity and should be done with a responsible person. 

Bleach

Sodium hypochlorite is a strong oxidizing agent in liquid form which is the active ingredient in bleach. Strongly basic, this chemical compound is a disinfectant and can be used to whiten fabrics.

Bleach can be harmful to your body. It is possible to have an allergic reaction on your skin which can lead to burns. It can cause permanent damage to the nerves and tissue in your eyes

If you get bleach on your body, go cleanse the area as fast as possible in your sink or in a shower if needed. Also try to avoid breathing bleach because of the strong chlorine scent release that can harm your lungs.

Always remember to:

Read instructions on the labels of bleach container.

Wear gloves and protective clothing. Do not touch your face while using bleach.

Be aware to work with bleach only for a short period of time and in a ventilated space.

How to reverse tie-dye 

Generally using black garment, versing bleach over it will irreversibly lift colors away with a process of oxidation. 

Dyeing a black cloth is a longer process than dyeing a white cloth. In fact, after the bleach steps you can choose not to dye the cloth. In that case you will get the result faster, but an uncoloured result.

If you want to dye a specific design on a specific folding technique, you will have to fold twice you fabric. To go simple, you also can roughly crumple it.

1.Folding

Start at your work surface by folding your dry cloth and adding bond if needed. Use the folding techique that you will be using for your tie-dye pattern.

The goal is to target and determine what you don’t want to be black. 

A good trick is to film yourself so you can replicate the same fold.

2. Bleaching

For this step, you could use help of a funnel or a squirt bottle.

Time to carry the fabric to the bleaching station. It can be on a rack placed in a sink or even in a bathtub. Don’t do it in something you would further eat in.

The chemical reaction takes no more than a few minutes to operate. 

From two to ten minutes is enough for the bleaching agent to seep into your cloth. After that the bleach may start damaging the fibers of the cloth

If you aren’t still wearing gloves, now is time to put them on.

With the help of a funnel, pour bleach in a smaller container such a squirt bottle. You can dilute the bleach by half with water and it will still work. Or you can pour directly onto the fabric with the bleach container.

Again, be careful. Bleach is corrosive, wich means it can harm your skin and eyes.

Depending of the design desired, carefully pour bleach on the whole cloth or parts of it that you want to dye. Optionally flip the shirt and repeat.

Withing 5 minutes you should see the cloth becoming reddish or orange.

3. Rinse the shirt

Now that a court delay has passed, heavily rinse the fabric or put it in the washing machine.

Rinse it for at least 5 to 10 minutes. Open up the shirt a bit while rinsing to run out the more bleach agent you can.

In the washing machine we recommend a full wash including the rinse cycle. So far it may require another quick rinse in the sink.

If you’re not going to dye your shirt, rinsing it a couple of minute is a good start. Then you can go for the washing machine with some detergent.

You can now keep and wear your reverse tiedye or jump to the soaking step.

From now ahead, you will be able to follow the usual process to tie-dye a shirt.

Shibori

Shibori is a group of techniques of resist-dyeing. You can think of it as an ancestor to the modern tie-dye.

Multiple shibori techniques exist and they all involve the use of thread to isolate many small repeated lines on the fabric to create captivating designs that are both intricate and detailed.

The earliest examples of shibori textiles date back to the 8th century. While tie-dye tends to use the entire rainbow color spectrum, more often the shibori dye is only one color. There are six standard shibori techniques.    

Shibori techniques

 –Kumo Shibori is the most imaginative technique. The process uses various objects to create a pattern. It is used to tie the fabric around these items which are used as the resist to create unique designs

–Miura Shibori uses the processes of looping and binding to create patterns. It involves to take sections of the fabric with a hooked needle, looping the thread around each section and to keep the thread untied to achieve a wavey look to the pattern.

–Kanoko Shibori is the style that most closely resembles tie-dye. In the past, practitioners were using threads to tie parts of the fabric. Nowaday they mostly use elastic to define sections of the fabric.

–Arashi Shibori, also known as pole-wrapping shibori, is a technique that requires a stiff pole to twist and bind your fabric around it. The result is typically a diagonal style pattern that can almost look like the veins of a leaf, or even storm driven rain.

–Nui Shibori is a very detailed technique. In here we are using hand stitching skills to create resist like with Miura Shibori, but in this case the thread is removed after the dyeing. We can use this technique to create any patterns or images

–Itajime Shibori is a technique that you’ll use at least two objects. For the exemple let’s say we take two square of wood, we then fold the cloth and clamp it between the squares. Parts of the fabric that are clamped will remain undyed after the dyeing so you get incredible repeated squares or any other form you’ll be using.

$60.00

Every guest will be talking about this.

Get an amazing tapestry.

Perfect for hanging on a wall. Makes for a great talking piece.

Page 2

$60.00

Every guest will be talking about this.

Get an amazing tapestry.

Perfect for hanging on a wall. Makes for a great talking piece.

We’ll be using a plain cotton shirt.
It is the most common

Now fabric can be anything you want.
A shirt is the most common, followed by tapestries.

There is a difference between dyeing 1 layer pieces of fabric and dyeing a shirt which is 2 layers of fabric.

Clothing which is made from multiple pieces of fabric.

Clothing is very diverse

You can make tie-dye to embellish clothing.
You can use it to decorate (make tapestries to decorate your home)

The process of tie-dye is to apply a pattern to a fabric.

Pattern is the shape, size, appearance, result of tie-dye.

The pattern is the result of the tie-dye.

The appearance of the piece after its been 1) Tied and 2) dyed.

For example, a shirt on which you can see colors in the shape of a spiral is said to adorn a ”spiral” pattern.

Patterns often take the name of the closest ressembling thing to what the actual pattern looks like, but not always.

The process of tie-dyeing is to impart a pattern on a piece of fabric.

What are we trying to accomplish really? We want to color let’s say a shirt. Imagine that the shirt is already tie-dyed. The way the dye sets on the shirt is called the tie-dye pattern.

The pattern is composed of and not limited to : colors; their use, dispersion, hue, colorfulness.
Also the physical aspect, as in the shape or shapes, the repetition of colors, the main features,

We call them patterns because they can be recorded and repeated with the exact same steps as the original pattern.

We recommend everyone takes notes of every tie-dye creation. Video is even better.

Help us build the most comprehensive guide on tie-dye patterns.

Pattern is the result of a whole process called tie-dye.

The process of tie-dyeing can be resumed in this way :

A) Preparation

B) Tying

C) Dyeing

D) Finition

The process of tie-dye as a whole can be divided into multiple steps and operations:

A) Process

1) Preparation

Preparing your work space and the supplies you’ll be using.

Preparation of the fabric itself (Inspecting, washing, drying, SOAKING(?))

The preparation of the dyes (Choosing what colors + how to make those colors by mixing)

Preparing any other materials or tools you’ll be using.
(Gloves, pipette, setup a work surface/environment)

Supplies

Fiber-reactive dyes

Cotton shirt

Washing soda

Water

Fabric

Fabric is made of a collection of interlaced fibers.

The most useful fabrics for us are made out of natural fibers.

Cotton is the most common and affordable natural fiber.

Most of our work will be done using cotton fabric.

Fabric can come in all shapes and sizes.

Fabric varies in size and composition.

Dye

Get your Procion dye ready

Washing soda

2) Tying

The way you can fold, bind, restrain, pleat, crumple, etcetcetc the fabric.

There’s a near-infinite number of ways to fold a piece of fabric.
If you think about the complexity, the number of individual strands of fibers. And all the randomness and chaos.

There are a number of recorded folds; spiral, pleat,

There’s also a variety of factors to consider while tying.

The humidity of the fabric. (A slightly damp fabric you can fold quite easily, it stick to itself and the added weight helps it stay in place. A dry fabric is very difficult to fold.)

Wether you do it by hand or with tools.

Different techniques have a variety of interesting effects and results.

Folding serves multiple different purposes. It resists the dye. Taut, compressed fabric does not accept

The tying is mainly folding with optional binding by using elastic bands, string, or sinew. Compressing can be accomplished any number of ways. You can use accessories to change the capacity of the fabric to accept the dye. You can compress with forms or you can temporarily encompass the fibers in wax to prevent dye from reaching specific parts of the piece.

You can tightly wrap the fabric around a pole.

It guide the dye along its creases and pleats. As gravity pulls the dye down, it can slide against the ridges. Especially true for liquid and ice-dyeing.

3) Dyeing

The type of dye we use is fiber-reactive dyes.
It is a recent invention, became commercially available in the 1950’s.

The biggest advantages of this all-star dye.

It can dye even at room temperatures, it colors permanently, it is safe to use.

Dye itself : drop of a certain size. Can drip or splash or irrigate.

Can let the dye diffuse through the fibers.

Can obstruct the diffusion.

Can guide the diffusion.

Add additives to the dyed water by way of alginate or other viscosity enhancers.

Entire books could be written talking about wether to let the dye create the pattern by itself or wether we should guide the dye and thus the pattern.

Might be ever more ways to dye than to tie. lmao

The way you make the dye interact with the fabric. The actual coloring of the piece. It refers to the way you apply the dye, for example with a bottle. The quantity of dye, its colors, its penetration and coverage.

There are multiple different ways to dye a piece. You can drip. Experts will often use bottles with very small opening to better control the spread of the dye and create sharper patterns.

Talking about the spread of the dye, you can use a variety of techniques to resist the spreading of the dye. You can use source techniques that control the fluid itself. By adding alginate thickener you can create a more viscous fluid.

You can also create resistance in the fabric. By wetting an area of the fabric you can prevent much of the dye from penetrating.

This gives rise to specialized techniques such as ”supersoaking”

The combination of the tying and the dyeing if what creates a pattern.

Tie-dye is as much coloring the fabric as it is resisting the coloring of the fabric.

For the dye to react with the fabric and color it there is an interesting reaction that occurs. Some amount of dye will react instantaneously with the fabric when in the presence of a suitable environment.

A suitable environment for the dye to react is when it is combined with water and washing soda. In this environment, a dye molecule will attach to a natural fiber molecule.