You don't have to be a hippie or 70s product to love a cool knot-dyed tee. Dyeing and knotting can be trendy and fun, offering lots of possibilities for children and adults. Like many art projects, it's worth a try. Here is a short tutorial on how to dye your shirt with knots.
Steps
Method 1 of 4: Part 1: Prepare the Tint and Soda
Step 1. Find a bottle to distribute the dye
A plastic ketchup bottle would be fine, but one of those squeezing bottles, like the ones you find in restaurants, is even better.
Step 2. Prepare the tint (s)
Some like to use more than one dye on their shirt, but only one is needed. Each color will consist of:
- 15ml Organic Nitrogen (helps retain color in the dye)
- 235 ml of hot water
- 30 g of Tint
Step 3. Prepare the soda ash mixture in a tub or sink
For every 3.80 liters of water, mix 235ml of soda, also known as soda ash.
Step 4. Wet the shirt in the soda ash mixture
- Make sure the whole shirt is wet; the parts of the shirt that do not get wet will not absorb the dye.
- Squeeze it well so it stays moist.
Step 5. Choose the design
There are several designs you can choose from when dyeing with knots, including the spiral design and the sun.
Method 2 of 4: Part 2: Spiral Design
Step 1. Find the center of the shirt and grasp it between your thumb and forefinger
Step 2. Holding the shirt between your fingers, slowly turn the part you are tightening, clockwise or counterclockwise
It should start to cluster; the folds should resemble a vortex.
Step 3. Turn until the shirt has all gathered in a tight circle
It should be about the size of a plate.
Step 4. Put an elastic along the sides of the shirt and the others that also go over the top
The rubber bands should overlap in the center, making the shirt resemble a sliced cheese wheel.
Method 3 of 4: Part 3: Sun Drawing
Step 1. Find the center of the shirt and grasp it between your thumb and forefinger
Step 2. Lift the part of the shirt between your fingers upwards and squeeze the rest of the shirt very tightly, forming a tight cylinder
Step 3. Without twisting the shirt, wrap 4 or 5 rubber bands around the barrel so that they are the same distance apart
It should look like a torpedo or a baguette.
Method 4 of 4: Part 4: Dye the Shirt
Step 1. Apply the dye outdoors or in a safe place
When dyeing, add enough that you don't see a little white. At the same time, don't put too much of it that forms small puddles on the top of the shirt. There are several ways that tint can be applied:
-
If you are using the spiral design, put the dye in the center and move outward, surrounding each new ring with a different color.
Tie Dye a Shirt with Soda Ash Step 13Bullet1 - If you are using the spiral design, put a different color in each square created by the rubber bands.
- If you are using the sun design, put a different color in each segment created by the rubber bands.
- If you want to have the whole shirt colored, dye both the back and the front with the same color and design. If you only want one side of the shirt with the colorful design, dye the front or back side only.
Step 2. Place the dyed shirt in a resealable plastic bag or garbage bag for 24 hours
The dye will remain on the shirt.
Step 3. After 24 hours, take the shirt out of the bag and put it under running water
Make sure you've washed off the dye and that the water running off the shirt is clear enough. Take off the rubber bands and see how it turned out.
Step 4. Immediately after rinsing it, wash the shirt in the washing machine with detergent and hot water
Do not wash it together with other clothes, the shirt may lose color and dye other clothes during washing.
Advice
- T-shirts that are not 100% cotton will not absorb the dye as well.
- Sodium carbonate (soda) can be found in the supermarket in the detergent area with the indication on the packet of washing soda!
- Experiment with rubber bands and drawings. There is no knot-dyed shirt that has turned out badly. Fortune favors the bold.
- Don't use too much dye.
Warnings
- Always wear disposable gloves and old clothes when dyeing. Rule of thumb: It should be something you won't mind unwrapping if it accidentally gets stained.
- Some tinctures can cause serious health problems if they are inhaled or ingested. Wear a face mask if you think there may be a risk of inhaling or ingesting the dye.
- Don't let children use the tincture unsupervised. After the dye has been washed and dried it presents no danger.
