Tie dye

You can connect a garden hose to most utility sink faucets by removing the aerator and threading on a faucet-to-hose adapter. This only works if your faucet has a removable aerator, which exposes the standard threads needed for the adapter to screw into place.

To ice dye, soak your shirt in soda ash, fold it tightly, cover it with a tall layer of ice, and sprinkle powdered dye over the top. As the ice melts, it carries the dye through the fabric and creates a flowing pattern,

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.

Start rinsing with cold water to remove excess dye and soda ash, then switch to hot once the water is mostly clear. Blue takes the longest to rinse out, and any leftover color will wash out in the machine.

For the first few washes, wash tie dye items separately or with other dark colors to avoid dye transfer. Once excess dye has rinsed out after several washes, they can be washed normally without risk of bleeding or fading if professional fiber reactive dyes were used.

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.