Bubble Dyeing Tutorial with Juletones
a Dharma featured tutorial
Tiny bubbles make us happy and Jule of Juletones has cracked the code to getting great bubble effects with Dharma Fiber Reactive Dye. We teamed up with her to bring you this playful, whimsical and just plain FUN technique.
Shopping list:
- T-shirt, fabric, clothing blanks, accessories, etc.
- Scrap fabric - to practice on
- Dharma Dyers Detergent
- Dharma Fabric Softener
- Soda Ash
- Bucket
- T-Shirt Form board or cardboard (Something to prevent dye from seeping through shirt) covered with a large trash bag and taped to secure it
- Dharma Fiber Reactive Procion Dyes - 189 Magenta Galactica, 43 Blue Violet, 159 Hydrangea, 171 Bahama Blue, 164 Sea Glass, 149 Lime Squeeze, and 191 Blue Abyss
- Bubble solution - 4oz bottles, one per color, available at most stores in the kids stuff isle
- Bubble wands - may be included in bottles but you can experiment with making your own using pipe cleaners
- Dish Soap
- Sodium Alginate
- Liquid Glycerin
- Karo Syrup
- Measuring Spoons + Cups
- Gloves
- Dust Mask
- Eye Protection
- Small Funnel (Optional)
- Fine Mesh Cloth (Optional - use to strain dye if needed)
Let's get started!
Pre-wash your t-shirt in hot water using Dharma Dyers Detergent. Mix 1 Gallon of warm water with 1 Cup of Soda Ash in a bucket. Soak your t-shirt for at least 30 minutes.
Make a t-shirt form - Place foam board or cardboard inside a trash bag and tape it in place.
Mix your bubble dye solution.
- Add 1-2 Tablespoons of dye to your bubble solution, depending on how dark you want the color to be. Stir until the dye is dissolved. (Strain with mesh and funnel if there's too much undissolved dye)
- Now add thickening ingredients to the dye (Approximate measurements adjust as needed).
- 2 TBS Karo Syrup
- 2 Tsp Glycerin
- 1/4 Tsp Sodium Alginate
- 1/8 Tsp Dish Soap
Let the dye solution sit for a while to let the foam dissipate (It makes it hard to blow bubbles when there's too much).
Set up your t-shirt: Wring out excess soda ash (wear gloves!) from your t-shirt but leave it pretty damp. Lay your t-shirt flat and insert your t-shirt form.
Blow bubbles!!
- Coat bubble wand in dye solution and gently blow bubbles about a foot away from your shirt.
- Once you've added as many bubbles as you like, let the shirt sit for a few minutes while you give your working surface a quick clean up so you don't smear dye when you flip it over.
- Flip your t-shirt over and repeat the process.
- Let it batch for 12-24 hours. Pro-Tip: typically you would cover the shirt to keep the moisture in while batching but I find it works better to let it dry out so dye lines and patterns stay crisper
- Wash your shirt - rinse with cold water, then warm, until the water is mostly clear. Wash with HOT water and Dyers Detergent, use Dharma Fabric Softener in the rise cycle if you desire. Dry as normal.
Float away in your bubbly dyed garment! Great fun for a party out on the lawn!
