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Tie Dye

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Tie Dye


Tie Dying is a great way to spend a day. You have the opportunity to be creative and create a truly unique piece of art. Even better than having a one of a kind piece of art, this is a piece of art that you can wear. When you are preparing to tie dye, you first have to choose what you want to create.  You can make t-shirts, handkerchiefs, sheets, pillow cases and more.

As you are preparing, you need to find an object to dye that is at least 60% cotton. It is best to wash your item before dying to make sure that the sizing is true. Cotton clothes and items often shrink when they are first washed, so it is best to be sure that the size is final before taking the time to tie dye.

After you have chosen your item, you will need a few other items. You will need dyes in the colors that you like. There are a variety of brands and types of dyes for you to choose from. Once you have your dyes you should read the instruction on the package very carefully. These instructions will help you while you are dying and it will also help you determine all the other items you will need.

You will need a large pot or bucket to mix the dyes and you will also need a long-handled utensil to stir the dye. When choosing these items you will need to be sure that they are either stain proof or that it is unimportant if they are stained. The dye you are using is permanent, so you will need to have items to protect you and your work surface from the dye. These items include rubber gloves, newspaper and garbage bags to cover your work surface. You will also need to have cleaning supplies handy including cleansers, rags and paper towels.

After carefully reading the instructions you may find that you need to allow your item to rest after each color. You may need to keep them in plastic bags. You may also need to have salt or soda ash, which are sometimes used to make the dyes more brilliant. Finally, you will need either rubber bands or string to tie your item so you can actually make the unique patterns that make tie dye the art that it is.

Once all of your supplies are gathered and your dyes are ready to go, it is time to tie your item. Start by laying your t-shirt or other item out flat. Once you have the item smoothed out flat you can proceed with twisting it, scrunching it or all other manners and techniques for tying your item. If you don't have any ideas on how to prepare the item for tying you can check online for many different ideas. To finish the tying you will want to secure your twisted or scrunched item with rubber bands or string.

When your t-shirt or other item is tied it is time to start dying. You probably want to start with the lightest colors and work up to the darker colors. You can also create different strengths of color by leaving the item in the dye for longer or shorter periods of time. It is likely that you will need to rinse or wait for a period of time between the different colors, this will be determined by the type of dye you use. Once you are ready to proceed with the next color you will want to undo the first ties and redo your pattern in the same manner that you did before. Be sure to retie carefully and securely as you did the first time. This process of dipping in the colors will make the one of a kind patterns that you want when working on a tie dye creation. Also, if you don't want any white left on your item at all you can undo the ties and dip the item into the color of your choice, which will dye any white bits left.

After you have finished dying you will want to very carefully and completely clean all of the items you used during your project. You will also need to wash your item in cold water separately from all other items so that the dyes do not bleed onto other items. Washing your item in cold water will preserve the strength of the colors over time.

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