Unless you've been living on the moon for the last century, you should be familiar with tie dying. The process is the same for each different tying method. You can use diluted pigment ink or dye. You can also use different types of tying material depending on the effect you want. Cotton twine will absorb the dye which will blend on the fabric beneath the twine. Acrylic knitting yarn will wick the dye and disperse it on the fabric. Waxed sinew will act as a resist preventing dye from spreading from one section of the fabric to another. Rubber bands will create the broken mottled effect we're all familiar with. Begin with white or solid colored fabric. Use a large plastic leaf bag or roll plastic for a drop cloth.
Materials
Pigment ink
Fiber reactive dye (Procion or Rit)
Natural Dye
Urea
Washing soda
Canning salt
Calsolene oil
Textile detergent
Dye Fixative
Condiment cups for mixing dye
2-4 oz Clear Condiment Squirt bottles, one for each color
Cotton Twine, Acrylic Yarn, Waxed Sinew
Rubber bands
Leaf bag or roll plastic
Plastic cling wrap
Ziplock bags
100% Cotton fabric
2 Gallon pot
Wash fabric in hot textile detergent and borax. Rinse and dry or leave damp.
Ink Dip Tie Dye: In a condiment cup, add 1 teaspoon of ink to 1/2 cup of water. Stir gently to combine. Tie dry fabric tightly in various places with twine. Dip into wash and let dry. Cut ties when dry.
Dye Water:
1-1/2 Gallons warm water
1-1/2 cup Canning salt, 3 for dark colors
1 tsp Calsolene oil
Pour salt and calsolene oil into 1-1/2 gallons of warm water. Stir until thoroughly dissolved. Pour dye water into squeeze bottles until 3/4 full. Rit liquid in the following amounts may be added directly to dye water and shaken to combine.
Powder Dye Mix:
2 tsp Dye for light color
1-1/2 Tbsp Dye for medium color
2 Tbsp Dye for intense color
2-1/2 Tbsp Dye for dark color
1/2 Tbsp Urea (not necessary for Rit liquid)
1) Mix 1/2 tablespoon urea in 1 cup of warm water. Divide 1 tablespoon urea water into condiment cups.
2) Add Procion or Rit powder dye to urea water in a condiment cup and mash into a thick slurry. A mini mixer with a submersion attachment will make this easier.
3) Strain through a fine mesh paint strainer. Deposit lumps back into the cup. Add a little of the dye and mash the lumps. Strain again. Continue until the lumps are gone. Set aside.
4) Use an eye dropper to add dye to water in squeeze bottles. Shake to combine.
Twist Dye: Place pre-washed, damp, fabric flat on a smoothed plastic drop cloth.
Pinch the center of the fabric between your fingers. Some use a fork in place of your hands but that has been known to tear the fabric if you are not careful.
Twist your fingers to begin the spiral twirl and begin wrapping the fabric around your pinch. Continue twisting until it resembles the shape of a cinnamon roll.
Use rubber bands to hold the fabric together. Slide the rubber bands under and over the spiral so that the fabric will hold its shape during the dyeing process. Generally five bands are used.
Dissolve 1 cup of washing soda per gallon of warm water. Soak the tied fabric about 5-15 minutes (until saturated). Reuse solution until gone. Squeeze out excess so garment is just damp, not dripping.
Apply the prepared dye to your fabric.
Put tied fabric in a plastic bag to keep it wet and chemically active and let sit for at least 4 hours in the summer and 24 hours in the winter to "cure".
After Dye
Remove from bag and while still tied, rinse off the excess dye under cold running water, then rinse in warmer water while you untie and after fabric is untied, until the water runs fairly clear. Have a pot pre-filled with hot water, borax and textile detergent. Add the fabric as soon as it is rinsed. Boil it for 20 minutes. For dark colors, reds and black, soak in 1/2-1 oz dye fixative in cool water for 15 minutes. Rinse in cool water. Hang to dry.
Two Tone Twist: Begin with a solid color fabric. Follow the above instructions and dye with a single complementary color.
Crumpling: Wad up fabric and tie in place.
Linear Tying: Tie fabric in sections lengthwise.
Shibori: Fold fabric accordion style before tying.
Ice Dyeing
Materials
Aluminum foil
Ice
Cooling rack
Tub
Choose a cooling rack and tub large enough to accommodate your fabric. Place cooling rack over the tub. Follow the above instructions for preparing the fabric and dye. Double the amount of Rit, if using.
Place damp fabric on the cooling rack. Roll aluminum foil into long strips and place it around the fabric to hold the ice. Place a single even layer of ice on the fabric. Squeeze dye onto ice in a pattern, leaving space between one color and another so they do not become muddy. Try for colors that blend well, it is easy to make mud especially with ice dyeing, because the colors spread. If using purple, blue and green, be mindful that green and purple make brown, so be careful to not put them directly next to each other, or to be sure to have black or blue between them.
For a galaxy look, add lighter colors first, then darker colors, then fill in with black. Be sure to use plenty of dye, you may need more black than you think. With an ice dye colors can get diluted pretty easy.
The batching clock starts AFTER all the ice melts. You want to make sure the dye has penetrated the fabric all the way through before batching. It should drip through the carrier and there should be color on the backside. If not, add more ice and possibly more dye. If you have dye clumps after the ice melts you can add more ice to the area or use a little water to dissolve. The clock doesn’t start until after that ice melts too.
24-48 hours is a good batch time. The fabric needs to warm up to 70 degrees F or above, for vibrant results. Once the ice melts, you can carefully put it in a garbage bag (grate and all) or wrap in plastic and set it out in the sun, if it’s hot out. You could also leave it in the warmest part of your house or cover it and put an electric blanket on it (use caution). Just be sure to wait until all the ice melts.
Follow the above after dye instructions.
For a galaxy look, spritz or splatter with white acrylic paint. Let dry and heat set.
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