How To Tie Dye

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How to Tie Dye I have always had a love for bright and colorful things. Things that have a kaleidoscope of color draw me in. My favorite thing that requires lots of color is tie-dye. I started tie dying when I was in middle school and have experimented with it and made it a hobby since then. I have dyed many things from shoes to hats and bed sheets to curtains. I started by dying t-shirts. I would normally wash the shirt before I dyed it and I would dye it while it was still wet. This works but the color will eventually fade. To keep the colors from fading, washing the fabric and drying it is good, but the key ingredient is soda ash. You sprinkle soda ash into a tub of water and let your fabric soak for a minute or two. The soda ash will lock in your dye and make your colors more vibrant and they will be less likely to fade. You can find soda ash in most craft stores. The amount of soda ash to use varies so it is a good idea to read the directions before adding it. After your shirt has soaked, it needs to be wrung out very well so the shirt can soak up the dye. I usually wring it out and let it air dry for a few minutes while I set up a good work area. Your area of tie dying needs to be covered in plastic. I like to tape it to the table or workspace so it does not move. Once that is done, I take the fabric and spread it out on the table. There are many designs that can be done with tie-dye. My favorite is a swirl. To make a swirl, pinch the center of your fabric while it is flat on the table. Begin to twist the fabric but be sure not to lift it up off of the table. Twist until the shirt makes a circle. Secure it with rubber bands. I use two or three bands to keep the fabric from loosening or moving around. Once the shirt or fabric is ready it is time to prepare the dye. I use a Tulip brand kit that can be found at craft stores or in the craft section
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