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Traditionally, tie-dye is a pattern of color made by preventing the dye from
reaching some areas of the material while vat dyeing others. Folding, tieing,
stitching, crumpling or otherwise preparing the fabric inhibits the flow of
the dye. Nowadays most folding, scrunching & twisting is done starting with
the wet shirt flat on a plastic covered table. The pattern of the folds etc.
and where the colors are squirted dictates the resulting design. Figure maybe
4 oz of dye liquid per average T-shirt. With experience, the end result can be
predicted and controlled to some extent, but surprise is part of what makes
tie-dye an exciting and interesting art form - and there will be plenty of
surprises.
PREPARATION (before the session starts):
It is best to have the tables all set up, covered with plastic, etc. Each work area should have newspapers, rubber bands, gloves, finger rinsing bowl, paper towels or a sponge, a bucket of premixed soda ash (allow about a gallon of soda ash mix for each 8-10 adult t-shirts - (1 lb of soda ash makes 2 gallons), and squirt bottles of premixed dye in the selected colors. It is always best to use freshly made up dye, so you can mix it the morning of the class, or the night before at most. This allows for the brightest possible color.
To mix up the dye in quantities you need, just multiply our 8 oz recipe by the number of cups of each color you will need - how to figure that out, you say? Well...
For example:
Tie-dyeing 50 t-shirts in 3 colors, using 4 "stations" with 12 to13 students at each station:
- Soda ash soak: 4 buckets, 2 1/2 gallons each, will take 5 lbs
- Dye: 3 colors in 16 oz squeeze bottles will tie- dye 12-13 shirts at ea station, unless people really pour on the dye-(for 4 stations, you need 12 bottles-kit has 6-need 6 more) use a dust mask!
ACTUAL PROJECT:
You can demonstrate tyeing to the whole group first, showing them how to tie their garments-then have everyone do it at their station while it is fresh in their memory. Then all the shirts can be soaked in the soda ash 5-10 min. (Use gloves!) During that time you can demonstrate how to apply the dye on a pre-tied and soaked garment. Be sure and demonstrate how to get the dye into the folds! Then turn 'em loose! After garments are dyed, lay them all out on newspaper with plastic over the top to keep them damp for the curing process, making sure that shirts don't touch each other, or have each student put their garment in a plastic bag. Then, have the students help clean up!
Caution! The soda ash solution is mildly caustic - it can irritate your skin.
Wear gloves and eye protection. Rinse off at once to avoid eye and skin irritation.
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1. Fold and/or
tie the fabric into the desired patterns.The designs will be more
defined if you wet the shirt and squeeze or spin out excess water
before folding.
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2. Wear your
dust mask and dissolve 1 cup (8 oz.) of Soda Ash
Fixer per gallon of warm water. Soak the tied garments about 5-15
minutes (until saturated). Reuse solution until gone. Squeeze out
excess so garment is just damp, not dripping.
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3. Using your
dust mask and gloves, combine water with all chemicals except dye. Add
liquid to dye gradually, pasting up to avoid lumps. Apply dye with
squeeze bottles, paint brushes, sponges, etc., as many colors as you
want. Easiest to use a funnel to pour dissolved dye into squeeze
bottles.
8 oz. cup of warm water
(not hot, body temperature)
Some colors are noted with * on
(Colors with no * = 2 teaspoons)
(One * = 4 teaspoons)
(Two ** = 8 teaspoons)
(dissolve in hot water first).
(A little to slow spreading, and control color, if desired.)
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4. Put fabric
(still tied) in a plastic bag (the idea is to keep it wet and
chemically active - any method of keeping it wet is O.K.) and let sit
for at least 4 hours but preferably 24 hours to "cure". Shorter times
work better in summer, and longer times are needed when it is cold.
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5. Remove from
bag and while still tied, rinse off the excess dye under cold running
water (faucet, hose or shower), then rinse in warmer water while you
untie and after garments are untied, until water runs fairly clear.
Have your washing machine pre-filled with hot water with
Synthrapol and throw in the
clothing as soon as it is rinsed, running it through a full cycle.
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VARIATIONS & HELPFUL HINTS
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Dye shirt a solid color first using Tub
Dyeing Method, then tie-dye using above method.
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After step 4, untie and re-tie in contrasting pattern.
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After tie-dyeing item, re-tie and use
Discharge paste to bleach out a
contrasting pattern.
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Sprinkle pure Procion powder onto tied and
pre-soaked item for different effect (super intense color. Use a salt
shaker with lots of salt and some dye for a lighter application)
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Put a small amount of Sodium
Alginate thickener into dye mixture (step 3) to slow down the rate
that the dye spreads and to create sharper edges.
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In step 4 any method keeping the fabric wet is OK, needn't be a plastic
bag - cover many with plastic drop cloth, wrap in plastic wrap, etc. The
warmer the temperature where you lay out your tie-dyes to cure, the
quicker the chemical reaction.
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Use Water Softener if you suspect
you have "hard" water.
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DON'T USE HOT WATER. The dyes work best in warm water (105 degrees) except
#25, which can be used slightly warmer. #250 does like hot water and
doesn't do well for tie-dye.
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Urea helps dye to dissolve, so dissolve the Urea in water first. Add this
water to the dye powder gradually and paste it up to avoid lumps.
Undisolved dye makes "explosions" of color or "freckles", so if a color is
difficult to dissolve, straining through some light fabric might be
necessary. Coffee filters only work if the dye is really liquid.
Otherwise, they filter out too much of the dye.
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If you have trouble making a paste of the colors, a little
Calsolene Oil can help because
it breaks the surface tension.
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Cover your work surfaces with old newspapers or folded paper towels to
absorb extra dye. Wear old clothes! After applying dye to one side, flip
garment over and repeat the process. Inject the tip of the squeeze bottle
into the folds for best dye penetration and less white on the final
product.
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With this dye, there is always lots of "excess dye" to be washed out.
Don't crowd your washing machine with too much tie-dye or the water gets
too muddy and so will your tie-dyes. Delicate items like rayon and silk
are better hand washed or should go into a mesh bag on a gentle cycle so
the agitation doesn't shred them.
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Planning a tie-dye party? We can make it
easier with our Group Tie-Dye Instructions.
QUICK EXPLANATION
OF THE CHEMICAL PROCESSES INVOLVED IN TIE-DYEING
Fiber reactive dyes attach permanently to cellulose fibers using a covalent
(electron-sharing) bond. These molecules carry a "chromophore" which absorb
varying spectrums of the light, allowing only certain spectrums to reflect.
Covalent bonding is the one of the most basic and strongest types of
chemical reactions. This reaction happens gradually over time depending on
temperature and/or the Ph level of the surrounding environment.
The Soda Ash pre-soak raises the pH level of the garment or fabric to
approximately 10.5. Raising the pH level of the solution that the fabric or
garment is soaked in raises the level of negative hydrogen ions in the
dyeing environment. The chemical bonding process uses these ions in the
reaction. Pre-soaking in Soda Ash fixer solution is what allows the fiber
reactive dyes to work at room temperature.
The reaction can also be aided with heat. Some tie-dyers have had success
with using baking soda and microwaving their dyed articles. Since baking
soda is a weaker alkali than Soda Ash, it must be accompanied by heat. Some
people who are "chemically sensitive" choose to use this method.
The dye is allowed to react in a desirable host environment for up to 24
hours. After this time, the bonding sites on the cellulose should be
saturated with dye molecules. Excess dye molecules that have not bonded
permanently are washed away using warm water rinse and a dye-carrying
detergent like Synthrapol.
RINSING:
Use gloves! While garment is still tied it needs to be rinsed as much as possible under warm running water (faucet, hose, shower, bathtub), then gradually untied while still rinsing. Get as much dye out as possible this way, then immediately wash with hot water and synthrapol. Synthrapol is a special detergent that helps get the rest of the excess dye out so it won't bleed and run in future washings. Students could bring little jars to take some home in - warning-it can eat through plastic baggies. Remember, good rinsing procedure keeps the clothes from looking "muddy" and colors from running over each other into white areas. You can't skimp on water! Immediate washing with synthrapol keeps the excess dye that is still left from bleeding. Before washing, don't let the dyed clothing touch anything!
CARE:
Since procion dyes are "fiber reactive", they are very permanent and will not fade or bleed. Bleach or detergents containing bleach should not be used! If the garments have been properly rinsed and washed, they are safe to throw in with the family laundry!
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