Tye Dye

[PEACE FROG]

Giftable anytime!!!Check it out (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JLG6GHp010A&NR=1) Her shirts come out really nice!!

[Unkle_John]

So to anyone who has tye-dyed successfully.... after you soak in the soda ash and wash the shirt, can it be dyed again? We attempted to dye a few shirts and I guess I made them too tight, b/c the majority of the shirts are white.

[PEACE FROG]

I don't know but the chick in the video twisted the fork like pickin up spaghetti. And the rubber bands kinda just held it in a clump. My son and I are going to try to make some soon. :D

[CowboyHippy]

i wear tie dye everyday(unless it's required to wear somewthign else, liek a wedding or a ren fest. go look at myspace photos if you are bored

it is a pretty good video, i dont use rubber bands, or saran wrap i do it all on a sheet of plywood on sawhorses with a tarp. i run about 20 shirts at a time and stick them all in ziplock bags. forget the tie dye kits, you can get all the stuff from dharma trading out of san fransisco. look for fiber reactive dyes. they work only on 100%cotton shirts. i started out working with yard sale and rummage sale shirts and the dye took, but faded rather quickly. after talking with them on the phone they said most shirts that are "used" contain a lot of residues of deterget, fabric softner, dirt and body soils....ick. and they as essentially blocking the dyes from bonding with the cotton fibers. I started using new shirts and walla. now i try to get white shirts from trade show surplus. last batch wasnt white, they were red "cdw" shirts, 2 dozen for 15 bucks, made nice red and black swirlies. the yellow didnt show, and the blue looked like black. dyes are transparent so if you put blue dye on a yeller shirt you will get green. the looser your bundeling the moe dye gets down into the shirt. why i stopped using rubber bands.

also, get those big yellow rubber gloves. i always tear the cheapo proctoligst gloves.

fiber reactive dies are also fairly nasty, parts of them being carcinogens, so when you turn your dye powders to liquid in the bottles be sure to wear a dustmask and be careful, no kiddies running around and such
http://a368.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images01/30/l_ccb709727faee74a905250cf2502db97.jpg
http://b1.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/01417/11/02/1417272011_l.jpg

[Unkle_John]

THAT is a kick ass helmet!!!

So the shirt you're wearing was red? What color did you dye it with (besides yellow)?

What about using bleach to dye black shirts? I have a whole bunch of black shirts I got and only wore them a few times, is it possible to bleach them with a water/bleach solution that won't eat the fabric?

So give us a list of the products you recommend to use from Dharma (we get their catalog).

[CowboyHippy]

THAT is a kick ass helmet!!!

So the shirt you're wearing was red? What color did you dye it with (besides yellow)?

What about using bleach to dye black shirts? I have a whole bunch of black shirts I got and only wore them a few times, is it possible to bleach them with a water/bleach solution that won't eat the fabric?

So give us a list of the products you recommend to use from Dharma (we get their catalog).

I have heard of bleach dying of sorts, dharma also sells a dye remover but i just typically get lighter color shirts to dye up

the top shirt "CDW" was red, the dye on it is actually green, blue and black. it all looks black, think of the dye like a stain as opposed to a paint that covers. the bottom picture is (was) a white shirt. i havent gotten a dharma catalog in a little bit, but the color charts are in the book, usually around the front cover where the pages are all magazineish and color.

get fiber reactive dyes, prices vary, i find that three 2 0z tubs will do more than 2 dozen shirts. the fiber rewactive bonds with the cotton fibers. you will find that a lot of shirts use non cotton thread so you get bits where the shirt is all different colors but the stitcing around the sleeves and waist have white thread, not really a big deal. i get fuschia, turquoise and whatever yellow uses the least dye. they have little asterisks or some such that denotes you have to use more tsps per oz. they also sell a mixing bottle (fill to here with yellow then to here with blue and you get green). the soda ash...go to a pool chemical place and get sodium carbonate, i think its for increasing ph. not sodium bicarbonate (baking soda) it's about the same price as dharma, until you get big tubs, then it's cheaper and you dont get hammered on shipping a 10 lb batch of stuff you can buy down the road. also last time i got some it came as 2 5 # bags from them as opposed to the reuseable sealable less mess tub i got from the pool place.

I usually string mine out on the clothesline and hose them off. the neighbor lady said our laundry hurts her eyes.

fiber reactive dye
big yellow gloves (like dexters mom on dexters labratory)
a 5 gallon pail (4 gallons of water and 4 cups of soda ash)
clean preferably new white cotton shirts (long and a size big in my case)
ziploc bags, saran wrap.

my big plans are to sell them someday at the local city fairs out of my bus.

[Unkle_John]

Thanks for the input!

Julie and I want to do the same thing with her bags, pants, tops, blankets, etc.

[CowboyHippy]

So to anyone who has tye-dyed successfully.... after you soak in the soda ash and wash the shirt, can it be dyed again? We attempted to dye a few shirts and I guess I made them too tight, b/c the majority of the shirts are white.


yes you can
my wife stole one of the better ones, kinda trippy, spiraled it one way and dyed it blue and red, then spiraled it the other way with yellow and green

the overlaps and the transparency of the dyes mad for some cool purples and oranges, and on the edges where the colors dont overlap there is some odd things going on, a blue bled out into a green with no yellow present and such

I also did one that was red and black and yellow and black with a lot of white, looked like a tiger that just got abit bloodied up in a cat fight.

[CowboyHippy]

http://mysite.verizon.net/res0qi56/dress.jpg

wife holding up the dress I made for her this past summer
i think the white dress was $15 through dharma

[PEACE FROG]

Did you do your own tile? That hickory is very nice as well. I love yer tie dye, I'm gona do some with the boy this spring. That was a good link you posted earier for the dyes and supplies

[CowboyHippy]

yep, i am notoriously thrifty, i did the tile, had it sitting in the basement for a year because i bought it at a closeout sale from a going out of business place, and i couldnt afford a proper install at the time. i did use to light of a color grout and it always looks dirty, i will end up removing it and replacing with either a darker color (real dark brown, not black or gray) or an epoxy grout. I did some talking to the tile guys i have encountered at work about the epoxy stuff so i have been warned about all the extra hassle, but it might just be worth it. what do you think?

I also made the cabinets, traded electrical work labor for the use of a guys shop who made cabinets, so i was able to do the work and ask him for guideance when i needed it, as well as the use of his tools. then he helped with the install and made the countertops for me.

all appliances are also dented or otherwise scratched. stove has dents in both sides but the front is great, and the fridge has a deep gouging scar in the side that is against the counter. it pays to skip the big box stores and ask at the mom and pop places for the beat up stuff

[PEACE FROG]

Ideally if you choose your grout color neutral to the body color of the tile you are saying "look how pretty my tile is" if it is in a heavy contrast color you are saying "look how well I lay tile". Cuz the first thing that draws the eye will be the grout pattern. No I don't see using epoxy grout, you'll do fine with "Custom" brand from The Home Depot, it is acrylic modified very color fast and stain resistant. Yeah man, your kitchen looks great!!!

[Unkle_John]

Yes please add some photos!

[CowboyHippy]

Yes please add some photos!

more tie dye photos....make some and show us how it turned out

i do have an older family pic, before i grew my hair out and cut it

http://mysite.verizon.net/res0qi56/familypic.jpg

[LIBRA]

so cute!!!

[Korinna]

What about using bleach to dye black shirts? I have a whole bunch of black shirts I got and only wore them a few times, is it possible to bleach them with a water/bleach solution that won't eat the fabric?

Being a fan of Goth fashion and music, as well as a hippie..
I call it "discharge tie dyeing" (discharge dyeing is done on black with bleach)

I used straight laundry bleach.. regular old Clorox. I twisted my shirts, dabbed the bleach on with a big paint brush, waited until I got the desired color (you can vary the color by how long you leave the bleach, and differnt blacks make different colors), and then DUNK IT quickly in a solution of half white vinegar/half water. It stops the bleaching. Air dry (I used a clothesline) and wash it. Very easy. I will post pictures when I get home from school. :D