I run into a lot of people who think tie dye is a dunk in RIT dye and a vinegar bath. When I started making tie dyes I was shocked at how exhaustive the process can be! It’s worth it though to create a lasting, permanent design that won’t run or fade. Here is the process I use when creating my wares…
First, choosing top quality garments is key! I am lucky to have great sources for blanks and am happy to provide organic garments as well as conventional.
Prewash all garments in a clean rinsing, natural detergent. If garments do not come ready-to-dye then I will “strip” them using oxygen detergent.
Tie garments and then soak them in a soda ash solution for a minimum of 30 minutes. The soda ash is necessary to ready the fibers for the dye solution and allows them to create a permenant bond at a cellular level. This bond is why the colors won’t run or fade over time.
I then dye the fabrics using only the best quality professional Procion MX dyes in a solution of softened water, Urea and Kelp. Procion MX dyes are made specifically for natural fibers and yeild the best results. Urea causes the dyes and garments to not dry out during the fixing part of the process. Dyes will only stay reactive while they are wet so keeping them in this state longer will yeild stronger, brighter colors. Urea also helps the powdered dyes to disolve cleaner and smoother for uniform color. Kelp acts as a thickner so that the dyes don’t come out like water, allowing for easier application.
Once the dyes are applied, I allow each garment to sit for 24 hours to “fix” the dyes. Heat helps this process so depending on the weather, the garments may sit out in the sun during daylight hours (especially great here in Denver where the sun is so close) or they will be indoors next to a heat source.
After 24 hours, I untie the garments and rinse them by hand. I could allow a machine to do the first rinse but I never get over the excitement of unfolding my creations! After the initial rinse, they are rinsed and spun in the washing machine to remove the rest of the surface dye. I then wash them with Synthrapol on a scalding hot cycle to ensure that the dye reaction is stopped and all extra dye is removed from the garments. This allows white parts of the garment to remain stark white and keeps colors from running. I dry the garments on high until they are dry and then do another wash with a cup of vinegar and another dry cycle. The garments are now ready to wear!
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