Recently I've been trying a few dying projects. I love the idea of dying things because you can just totally transform a piece of clothing. This is especially good for me because I love bright clothes! The first couple of things I tried were a little bit blotchy or uneven. But I'm pretty sure I've perfected it now. Today's DIY is more of an advice post than a DIY since you will still need to follow the advice on your specific dye packet.
You will need:
A big ol' bucket for dying.
Some dye- I prefer Dylon dyes which you use in a bucket rather than the washing machine.
Salt
A garment to dye- make sure that the garment is more than 40% natural fibers (such as cotton) or the dye won't work. I used an American apparel leotard which are cotton based so super good for dying. The higher the cotton cotton the brighter your garment will be. The higher the artificial content the weaker the colour will be.
1) First piece of advice is to completely saturate your garment with cold water. The reason dyed stuff often gets a bit streaky is because the dye is able to permeate some areas more than others. However if you make sure that your clothes are equally drenched all over then you ensure that the dye will cover it equally.
2) Measure out the warm water for your dye bath and add your salt. The salt allows the fabric to absorb a little easier so it is pretty vital. I always add a third again tot he required amount of salt just to make it a little brighter.
3) Stir in your salt until the water turns clear.
4) Now mix your dye powder in a smaller bowl (about 500ml) before adding to the larger dye bath. Make sure you stir the dye completely until there are no dye crystals at all at the bottom of the bowl.
5) Add the dye to your dye bath and stir in completely. This is another step which can go wrong. If the dye isn't completely stirred in you can get streaking so stir for a bit longer than you think is necessary.
6) Before dunking your garment in have a little check that it's still completely saturated because some areas may have dried more than others.
7) Put in your garment and make sure it is completely covered.
8) Stir your dye bath continuously for 15 minutes.
9) After your 15 minutes check on your bath every half an hour or so and give it a little stir.
10) I always leave my garment in a little longer than usual. Usually the recommended time is 45 minutes but I always leave it a couple of hours just for added vibrancy. I've found that usually if you take it out after 45 minutes then a lot of the colour will wash out when you first wash it.
11) When you first take out your garment put it in the washing machine. I put things on a rinse or freshen up cycle which is a low temperature (about 30 degrees) and only lasts about 15 minutes. This wash should wash out any excess dye.
12) Your freshened up fashion statement is ready to wear! Wooohooo!!!
1) First piece of advice is to completely saturate your garment with cold water. The reason dyed stuff often gets a bit streaky is because the dye is able to permeate some areas more than others. However if you make sure that your clothes are equally drenched all over then you ensure that the dye will cover it equally.