Tie-dye is a very old method of creating patterned prints on clothes without using any machine or blocks. Simply by using threads and tying small knots, one can color clothes with the help of their own innovative and thoughtful designs. Professionalism in this form of art comes through practice and experience and one can do wonders as soon as he/she gets the hang of it. It is also not a costly method and requires only a quarter of your hour. You can also pick up large pieces of cloth for tie-dye, which you can later use as table cloths or bed sheets. Bright and vibrant color patterns on your white or lightly colored clothes or t-shirts surely look wonderful. So, why not go for tie-dye. These easy instructions will help you in your task.
Complexity Level: Basic
Time Required: 30-40 Minutes
Resources Required:
1. Colored dyes and urea
2. Thick threads
3. Soda ash fixer
4. Red grams or small stones
5. Rubber gloves
6. Cloth or T-shirt to dye
7. Tap water
8. Containers
9. Clothesline to dry
1o. Plastic wrap
Instructions:
1. Wash the cloth or t-shirt with water
Put the cloth in a container and wash it with warm water.
2. Tie small knots all over the cloth
Use thick threads to tie small knots all around the cloth maintaining a pattern, placing under each a small stone or red gram.
3. Soak the cloth with Soda Ash Fixer
Wear rubber gloves and pour one cup of Soda Ash Fixer into a container of 4 litres of warm water and soak the cloth in it. Keep the cloth soaked in for 15-20 minutes.
4. Mix the dye and urea together with warm water
The amount of dye to be mixed varies according to each color. Some colors require more amount to be mixed to get the desired color. Generally, beside the name of the dye, there is one star (*) or double star (**) mark to indicate the difference.
(In such a case, with one cup of water, you mix 1 tablespoon of urea and 2 teaspoon of normal dye or 4 teaspoon of dye* or 8 teaspoon of dye**. Similarly, with 4 liter of water, you need 1 cup urea, 1/2 cup normal dye or 1 cup dye* or 2 cups dye**.)
5. Dye your cloth
Put the cloth into the container which contains the dye if you wish to colour the whole cloth with one color. Otherwise, only spread the dye to that portion of the cloth where you want it. If you wish to use another color, then mix it with urea in the same way and apply to the area where you want it. Repeat the process for third and fourth colors and so on.
6. Leave the cloth to dry
Hang the cloth in a warm place or cover it with plastic and hang it on a clothesline and let the colors to dry.
7. Wash the cloth once with cold water
After the color has dried, wash the cloth with cold water once in a washing machine and let it dry again.
Frequently Asked Questions:
1. What is Soda Ash Fixer?
Soda Ash is an ingredient of washing soda and it helps increase the acidity or basicity of an aqueous solution. Its chemical name is Sodium Carbonate (Na2CO3). It is used in dying of clothes as it helps the dye to react with the cloth more effectively and make the color more permanent.
2. Where to find Soda Ash?
It is generally found in places where one finds swimming pool supplies, that is a hardware store or a department store.
Quick Tips:
- If you have hard water in the tap, use water softener, which is easily available in department stores.
- Spread newspapers or old pieces of clothes in your work area to avoid mess.
Things To Watch Out For:
1. Soda Ash Fixer cannot be used for dying wool.
2. Do not boil the water when mixing the dyes. The water should be lukewarm and not too hot.
3. Make sure not to use contrasting colors beside each other (blue-red; green-red etc), or else they merge to become a third color around their borders.
