3 Tips for Better Tie Dye
In case you haven’t been on social media the past few weeks, I’m here to tell you that tie dye is back in style for the summer and isn’t going anywhere any time soon. I really can’t blame people for hopping on the trend. It’s a fun, easy, completely customizable DIY that you can do with all ages and actually put to use after you’re done.
I’ve done my fair share of tie dyeing and through lots of trial and error I’ve learned some do’s and don’ts to get the best result.
How to get the best tie dye
Use Quality Dye
Those big tie dye value packs are great for kids or parties, but they can leave your colors a little patchy and fade fast. I personally like using Rit Dye. They’re meant to permanently dye garments and fabrics like professional garde dyes, not just for tie dyeing. They have a great color selection and you can add more or less dye depending on how light you want your color. They have a full guide on how to tie dye on their website.
Pre-Soak
Soaking the clothes you’re going to dye in soda ash and water will help the color stick to the fabric better and extend the life of your DIY. Mix 1 cup of soda ash into 1 gallon of hot water and place the clothes in for 15 minutes. In a pinch you can use baking soda in the same ratio instead. Most people recommend wrapping/twisting your clothes in your desired pattern before soaking. I’ve done it before and after tying and haven’t really noticed a difference.
SHOP
RIT Dye: https://shopstyle.it/l/bhAyK
Use the right temperature water
Pre-dyeing you’ll want to use hot water to soak and you’ll also want to use hot water in your squirt bottle to mix the dye. This helps with the solubility of the dye and helps the fibers of the fabric absorb color better. When rinsing and washing your masterpiece you’ll want to use cold water only. This will prevent the color from running into the areas intentionally left while and keep it locked into the fabric. Use cold water when you wash after wear too.
Resources
Some of my favorite things I’ve tie dyed are shirts, socks, hats and bandannas. Next on my list is sweatshirts, sweatpants and I really want to try a pair of shoes. I’m really into the more pastel monochrome color tie dye right now. What are your fave projects you’ve done?
Send me pictures of all your tie dye projects on my Instagram @leah.carolynn
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