UV Glow Skull Tote Tie-Dye

Transform a stuffable cotton tote into a glowing, handy piece of art. We won't stop you from filling it to the top with candy, just know that it also holds produce from the farmer's market just as well. Broccoli just doesn't sound as good while you watch scary movies.

Shopping list:

• Dharma Small Stuffable Cotton Tote - pre-washed, no fabric softener
• Fiber Reactive Dye - Colors we used: 420 Psychedelic Sunshine, 200 Raven, 177 Electric Green
• Soda Ash
• Glauber's Salt - for the Electric Green mix
• Urea
• Squeeze Bottles with Yorker Spouts
• Long Stem Applicator - Standard
• Synthetic White Sinew
• Mark-B-Gone Marker
• Crafting Tweezers
• Plastic Bucket - for the soda ash soak
• Gloves
• Dharma Dyers Detergent
• Measuring Spoon
• Funnel
• Mixing Cups - 2
• Permanent Black Fabric Marker - optional
• Wire cooling rack placed in a tub to catch runoff
• Plastic wrap or a gallon plastic bag
• Scissors
• Water

Let's get started!

Pre-Wash the Tote - Pre-wash the cotton tote in hot water with Dharma Dyers Detergent to remove any sizing, starches, or industrial oils. Do not use fabric softener or dryer sheets.

Soda Ash Soak

1. Dissolve 1 cup of soda ash per gallon of warm water in a plastic bucket.

2. Submerge the tote completely for 15-20 minutes to allow for full fiber saturation.

3. Wearing gloves, remove the tote and wring out excess liquid until damp but not dripping. Do not rinse.

Mix the Dyes

1. While your tote soaks and you're wearing gloves, prep your dyes. Mix dye powder with a couple tablespoons of warm tap water in your mixing cup until there are no grainy lumps on the back of your spoon. Mix your urea water according to our tie-dye instructions, and pour it into your pasted dye. Don't forget the Glauber's salt for 177 Electric Green! Funnel the complete mix into squeeze bottles with spouts. Pour some 200 Raven black into the long stem applicator. Label bottles with tape or a marker if desired.

2. Shake bottles vigorously to mix (with the cap on!), then rinse those hands off to avoid dye transfer.

Fold and Bind the Tote

1. Lay the damp tote flat on your clean work surface, smoothing out wrinkles. Fold it in half vertically so you get a mirrored image, making a whole skull.

2. Trace your pattern using a cut-out skull, a stencil, or freehand draw with your disappearing/washable marker (a pencil works on this tote too).

3. Using your craft tweezers, fold the tote in small creases to line up the outline of your drawing. This is the step that makes your design take shape, so try to fold carefully and evenly. More folds make for a clearer image. When you're done folding, your tweezers can help nudge any wiggly folds back into your straight line.

4. Secure the fold line snugly with imitation sinew across the straight line you folded. Make sure it's snug by pulling it taut and tying.

5. Continue the fold and tie process with the nose and eye lines. Tweezers are the best tool for these smaller details. Bring your lines together as straight as possible and secure with sinew.

Apply Your Dyes

1. Place the bound tote onto a wire rack set over a tray or plastic tub.

2. Starting with your lightest color, 420 Psychedelic Sunshine, carefully apply dye from the squeeze bottle onto the skull section, plus a few other spots for a pop of glow throughout your tote. You could also opt to leave only the skull glowing. Push the bottle nozzle slightly into the folds to make sure the dye penetrates the cotton.

3. Next, apply 177 Electric Green in the empty spots outside the skull section.

4. Then take your long stem applicator and apply black to the eye and nose sections inside the skull, being conservative so the black doesn't cross your sinew lines too much.

5. Flip the tote over and apply 420 Psychedelic Sunshine on the skull's back side, and some on the tote body if you like. Then apply 200 Raven on any remaining white, being careful not to oversaturate. Stay about ¼"-½" away from your skull outline to allow for some color bleeding.

Batching (Curing)

1. Place the dyed tote, black side down, inside a zip-top plastic bag, or wrap it tightly in plastic wrap to keep it moist.

2. Let it cure at room temperature (70°F/21°C or warmer) for a minimum of 24 hours. Warmer environments yield brighter results. Leave it to sit longer if temps are below 70°F/21°C.

Rinse and Wash Out

1. Wearing gloves, remove the tote from the plastic wrap.

2. Keep the sinew intact and rinse thoroughly under cold running water to stop the dye reaction, then switch to warm water until the runoff is mostly clear.

3. Cut or remove the sinew and wash with Dharma Dyers Detergent.

4. Air dry or tumble dry.

5. Optional: Draw teeth onto your skull with a black fabric marker, then set with an iron to make it permanent.

Voilà!