How to Tie-Dye Shirts - The Paper Forest

Do you wish to understand the greatest tie-dye methods? Use these guidelines to combine dyes and make fascinating designs.

Kids may easily do a simple DIY project using tie-dye. According to textile artist Shabd Simon-Alexander, author of Tie-Dye: Dye It, Wear It, Share It, “it’s practically impossible to tie-dye wrong.” In order to assist parents, we’ve compiled two methods you should be aware of: using a tie-dye kit purchased from a store and creating your own tie-dye bath.

Continue reading to discover how to tie-dye a shirt step-by-step. And don’t worry if you make a few “mistakes”; according to Simon-Alexander, some of the best designs have resulted from happy accidents.

Tie-Dyeing with a Kit

Want to create a hip, vibrant tie-dye shirt? Then you need adhere to the guidelines for this traditional tie-dye method!

Locate a work area. Find a workspace for your project first. Garbage bags or plastic sheeting should be set up outside, in the garage, or on a craft table because tie-dying can be messy.

Get your T-shirt ready. Pick a 100% cotton, pre-washed T-shirt. Lay the garment flat after submerging it in warm water and wringing out the excess. (You don’t have to soak the T-shirt before dying it, but dry cotton won’t allow the colour to spread as far.)

For enhanced colour absorption, you could also soak the T-shirt in soda ash (sodium carbonate). You could find soda ash with your tie-dye kit, as well as in craft stores and online. You must combine soda ash with warm water as directed on the soda ash packaging before soaking your T-shirt for a while.

Get your dye ready. Pick up a tie-dye kit, then follow the directions on the container. Squirt bottles that are just partially emptied will contain the extremely concentrated dyes. The bottles will likely be filled with warm water and shaken to blend. To improve the colour, Simon-Alexander advises adding a little salt. (You can also produce your own dye; most recipes call for combining water and powdered dye.)

Make a design plan. Check out the patterns in this slideshow, pick one you prefer, then bind your shirt tightly with rubber bands to create the pattern you want.

Make your clothing tie-dyed. Apply dye on the shirt in the tie-dye design of your choice using the spray bottle. Apply only one colour at a time, please. Since darker colours can be stacked on top of lighter colours, start by working with brighter hues (pink, yellow, lime green, etc.).

Dry it out. Place the shirt in a plastic bag or wrap it in plastic while it is still fastened together with rubber bands. Give it 12 to 24 hours to sit so the colours can settle. To get pastel-like colours, you can also remove it earlier.

Clean the shirt. Wear gloves when you unwrap the garment and remove the rubber bands. Until the runoff is clean, rinse it in cold water. After that, wash it in cold water in the washer without adding any other garments. The shirt is ready to wear once it has dried!

How to Make a Tie-Dye Bath

DIYers can create their own dye bath in instead of purchasing a tie-dye kit from a retailer. This is very helpful for designs with just one colour. The recipe Simon-Alexander uses to create strong and long-lasting colours is described below.

Get the supplies. The following supplies are required to tie-dye shirts:

3-gallon container
Glass jar with an airtight lid
leather gloves
spoon for measuring
fiber-reactive dyes like Dylon Permanent or Jacquard Procion
ash-fixing soda

Make the dye bath yourself. Locate a location that can get disorganised. Put on the rubber gloves before creating the dye bath. 1 gallon of cool water should be added to the bucket before halfway cool water should be added to the jar. Measure 2 to 4 teaspoons of the dye powder into the jar, depending on how dark you’d like the colour to be. Shake the container while tightly fastening the lid to dissolve all of the powder. Stir after adding the dye to the bucket.

After that, add hot water to halfway fill the jar. Six teaspoons of soda ash should be added, followed by a tight cover and a quick shake. Stir after adding the mixture to the bucket. If desired, repeat these processes to create dye in more hues.

Get the T-shirt ready. Pick a 100 percent cotton, prewashed T-shirt. Lay the garment flat after submerging it in warm water and wringing out the excess.

Make a design plan. Check out the patterns in this slideshow, pick one you prefer, then bind your shirt tightly with rubber bands to create the pattern you want.

Get the shirt wet. With a long-handled enamel or stainless steel spoon, submerge the garment in the dye bath and stir it often. Depending on how intense of a colour you desire, soak it for 30 to 1 hour. (If using two or more colours, dip each part in dye and hold it there.)