How do you tie-dye a shirt?
I'm going to go to walmart and get some of the plain white t-shirts and the RIT dye, but, how do I actually tie-dye the shirts? Also, is there anything I have to do with the dye or do I just put in on the shirt? Thanks.
If anyone can help tell me how to make certain designs, that would be nice too. [[:
Comments
Well you take the white t-shirt and you put elastics on it like twist random parts of the shirt and put some rubber band on it [go to www.google.com and type in tie dye patterns i'm sure there will be some different techniques there] , then you take a bucket gull of die or a mix of dye & water and you just soak the shirt in there for awhile, then you take out the shirt & rinse it with cold water really well & take the elastics off it , then you hang it up to dry .. and a little while later when its done drying you have a brand new hand-dyed tie-dyed shirt!
:P have funn!
Rit dye is actually really bad. its color fastness is horrible. They now have tie dye strings that already have dye in them and you just tie your shirt (or whatever) and get it wet. You could also try dylon, which better than RIT. Basically you make a batch of the dye. You the tie the shirt up, and there are a bunch of different ways, look online. I recommend rubber bands, but if you use string, don't use something make out of natural fibers (like cotton) because they will dye and let the dye in (the strings act like a resist), use nylon. You can dip the shirt in pieces in the dye, but I recommend that you use squirt bottles with pointy ends and put the dye on with that, then you can control where the dye is going. If you want professional results order Procion dyes, but they will be more expensive and you will need extra materials. Look at Dharma's trading company online.
To make the bull's eye pattern, grab a handful of shirt and pull it out without stretching it. Wrap kite string (or household string, as long as it's not cotton) tightly around the handful of shirt in two or three places. Knot it off in each place. You probably want a wrap about 1/2" wide, honestly.
You can get tie-dye kits with good comprehensive instructions from a crafts supply store like Michaels or Hobby Lobby, or from the crafts supplies aisle in WalMart. Be sure you get a shirt that's all cotton. The poly-cotton ones don't dye as well. If your dye has a vinegar rinse option, use it. Vinegar helps to "set" most dyes on cotton fabrics. Check the box of dye for instructions before leaving the shop. Get vinegar while you're there if you don't have enough at home. White vinegar is best for this, I've been told.
I've seen it done, but don't quite remember exactly. I think you crumple up a shirt real tightly into a bundle and tie a string or two around it. Then you immerse it into dye, but not so long that all the material absorbs the dye. In fact, I think you only put it in long enough for the outside edges to get any dye. (If it looks like you left it in the dye too long, then just let it dry and do it two, maybe three times, in a different color dye each time. It will make an interesting design with similar shades, but different colors: for example, green and blue, or red and blue and purple, or yellow and orange, or red and orange and brown.
This is an excellent tutorial on tie dying and the different methods of folding, etc. to get the different designs.
Good Luck!!
http://simmy.typepad.com/echoesofadream/2006/06/ho...