Process notes for tie dye and ice dye

A hot soak is a shortcut for ice dyers who want to see their results faster. Instead of waiting 24 hours at room temp, you soak the item in hot water to set the dye faster.

Getting crisp lines without blotchiness requires making the ties really tight and properly spaced.

It makes the fabric ready to grab color. The soda ash raises the pH so the dye will chemically bond to cotton instead of just washing out later.

Most of my dye is from Dharma Trading Co, but I also like Jacquard Products. There are several more small shops to get powered dye from.

The most important elements of bright tie dye color are: using natural fiber shirts, presoaking in soda ash, using enough dye, and letting it fully set.

It’s a style of tie dye that ends up resembling a sliced agate or geode. Artificial sinew is wrapped around fabric and pulled tight to resist dye and create lines.

This is a technique meant to produce a smooth watercolor look on thin fabrics. It’s done by placing polyester fleece behind the thin fabric before bunching.