I'm a visual learner...tie dye?

[zefyr]

just subscribing!

 

[Diz-Mommy]

Those came out well Mickeyfan 1226

 

[loveysbydesign]

Oh yes!! You want should really do the pre-soak with the soda ash. Those kits that don't require a pre-soak are worthless. The dye usually doesn't even stay strong enough to dye the shirt.

I just bought the Rainbow Rock Mega Project Tie-dye kit from Walmart and it says no presoaking required!!! Should I return it and get a different kit or just pick up some soda ash?? We want to do these this weekend!

 

[Diz-Mommy]

I really do recommend the kits that have the soda ash. The problem with the kits that do not require pre-soaking is the dye doesn't stay active long enough for most first time tie dyer's. It usually has about a 30 minute active period and then after that the colors will not take.

Here's what I recommend:

1. pre-wash all your shirts with detergent ONLY- no fabric softener or dryer sheets

2. dry the shirts in the dryer

3. sew in your Mickey and tie off the shirts accordingly

4. soak your shirts in soda ash over night

5. dye the Mickey head first and wrap it with a baggie and rubber bands to prevent other colors spilling on to the Mickey

6. dye the rest of the shirt with you colors

7. place the shirt in an old plastic shopping bag and tie it shut

8. let your shirts soak 24 to 48 hours (the longer you let them soak the darker or vibrant your colors will be)

9. rinse the shirt all tied up for a few minutes

10. un-tie the shirt

11. Now wash the shirt with about 1/2 the normal amount of detergent you'd use in a normal cycle (I usually use warm wash/ cool rinse)

12. Send the shirt through the dryer and you're done!

I always wash my tie dye stuff with other tie dye stuff or bath and dish towels that I don't care about getting stained. Depending on the dye you use the shirts will either run a lot or will eventually get to the point where they won't run in the wash. Better safe than ruined clothing is my rule.

Rainbow Rock did use to make a kit with soda ash that was pretty descent. Jacquard is the best if you have a Blick Art Store near you. I've gotten to the point where I mix my own dyes though with the raw dye power and urea pellets...you can get applicator bottles at Sally Beauty Supply stores. Those work nice.

Hope that helps!

 

[loveysbydesign]

I really do recommend the kits that have the soda ash. The problem with the kits that do not require pre-soaking is the dye doesn't stay active long enough for most first time tie dyer's. It usually has about a 30 minute active period and then after that the colors will not take.

Here's what I recommend:

1. pre-wash all your shirts with detergent ONLY- no fabric softener or dryer sheets

2. dry the shirts in the dryer

3. sew in your Mickey and tie off the shirts accordingly

4. soak your shirts in soda ash over night

5. dye the Mickey head first and wrap it with a baggie and rubber bands to prevent other colors spilling on to the Mickey

6. dye the rest of the shirt with you colors

7. place the shirt in an old plastic shopping bag and tie it shut

8. let your shirts soak 24 to 48 hours (the longer you let them soak the darker or vibrant your colors will be)

9. rinse the shirt all tied up for a few minutes

10. un-tie the shirt

11. Now wash the shirt with about 1/2 the normal amount of detergent you'd use in a normal cycle (I usually use warm wash/ cool rinse)

12. Send the shirt through the dryer and you're done!

I always wash my tie dye stuff with other tie dye stuff or bath and dish towels that I don't care about getting stained. Depending on the dye you use the shirts will either run a lot or will eventually get to the point where they won't run in the wash. Better safe than ruined clothing is my rule.

Rainbow Rock did use to make a kit with soda ash that was pretty descent. Jacquard is the best if you have a Blick Art Store near you. I've gotten to the point where I mix my own dyes though with the raw dye power and urea pellets...you can get applicator bottles at Sally Beauty Supply stores. Those work nice.

Hope that helps!

TYVM!

 

[vellamint]

ACK!!! I already sewed, gathered and banded the mickey heads....I DID NOT PREWASH the shirts!!!

What should I do or rather what will happen if I just go on from this point....the dye wont stick?

 

[kat3668]

ACK!!! I already sewed, gathered and banded the mickey heads....I DID NOT PREWASH the shirts!!!

What should I do or rather what will happen if I just go on from this point....the dye wont stick?

You'll be fine.. I never prewash my shirts.

 

[vellamint]

Thanks!!! Do you all think I will be okay doing this on my kitchen table or do you all do this outside?

I Have Never Tie Dyed Before.

 

[Diz-Mommy]

Hmmm, I dunno. I've never tried to get away without pre-washing... Maybe just soak the shirts a while longer than normal in the soda ash??

 

[wheelerkidz3]

is there another alternative to soda ash? there are no stores around here that i can find it in!!! the only stuff i can find is the tulip one step kit...or the packages of individual colors of tulip dye. no soda ash is in the kit! the only craft stores we have are around a forty five min drive away. should i even bother with this kit??

 

[Diz-Mommy]

Hmm, I'm not sure. I know there is something at some grocery stores in the laundry isle, but I can't remember the name. I want to say Borax?? You can order the soda ash online www.dickblick.com along with pure dyes and the urea pellets you'd need if you formulate your own colors.

I get the 8oz squeeze bottles for hair dye at Sally Beauty and do about a teaspoon of urea and a teaspoon for the powdered color (sometimes more sometimes less depending on how dark I want the results). Be very careful not to inhale any powdered color...I wear a simple dust mask like the kind you see on doctors. I mix about 10 tablespoons of soda ash in a gallon of warm water for the soaking process.

 

[Diz-Mommy]

Oh and some after thoughts, LOL

The kits aren't "terrible", but if you have more than one or two shirts to do the colors lose their potency too fast and your last few shirts will turn out lighter. Don't mix up the dye till you're absolultey ready for it and work fast. It also wouldn't hurt to take a really damp wash cloth and blot your shirts before dying them. If you try to put the dye on a bone dry shirt the liquid bubbles at the surface and that's pretty annoying.

And I would still highly recomend pre-washing the shirts without fabric softeners.

 

[wheelerkidz3]

thanks for your fast reply diz-mommy!! of course, i wanted to get started on these right away!!! we just finished them up using the kit...and you are so right about blotting the shirts...that did help! when we started, the dye kept dripping all over!! soooooo very irritating!! anyways, we just finished, and have them all wrapped. now i can't wait til tomorrow to see how they turned out!

another question though...
i have done this one other time, but we only used the one color...we did an orange shirt for halloween. it didn't matter if the colors ran. my mickey heads turned out pretty well defined. i did the same for the mickey heads this time, and tied really tight. i even put a few extra rubber bands on them to prevent the colors from running. i noticed though, that after i squirted the color on the head, i would always see the color seeping its way to the rest of the shirt. do you know what i mean? like i colored the head, went to cover it with plastic, but i could see the color already going under the rubber band and working it's way to the rest of the shirt. does that mean i didn't tie it tight enough? am i doomed to have a blobby mickey???? i dont remember it doing that the last time i did this!

 

[Diz-Mommy]

It will probably be okay the color still may bleed beyond the bands, but as long as you've tied them really tight you'll still see a nice white jagged line around your Mickey.

Those Clorox Bleach pens work really nice too if you can't see the Mickey very well too. Just make sure to do the "less is more" effect using tiny amounts and adding more if needed. And don't make your lines too clean cut. There's really no such thing as a straight line with tie dye so if you draw a perfect outline, I think it looks sort of weird. When I use a bleach pen, I used sort of a zig zag effect while going around the Mickey. I put a metal cookie sheet inside the shirt to prevent the bleach running through on the other side. The bleach works fast so you'll pretty much want to sit there and watch it. Rinse really well with cold water before throwing the shirt in the wash.

If you double banded though, I'll bet they will turn out great anyhow. Make sure to let them soak in the dye at least 24 hours for the best color.

 

[wheelerkidz3]

thank you again for answering so fast!!! you've helped put my mind at ease a little!! i won't be able to wait til i see them tomorrow. (if you see me post a pic...you'll know they turned out! if not....well, i'll have to try again! LOL!!)

 

[Kycha]

is there another alternative to soda ash? there are no stores around here that i can find it in!!! the only stuff i can find is the tulip one step kit...or the packages of individual colors of tulip dye. no soda ash is in the kit! the only craft stores we have are around a forty five min drive away. should i even bother with this kit??

You obviously won't need this information now since you finished your shirts already. But, for future reference, you can find Arm and Hammer Washing Soda(not baking soda) in the laundry aisle of Wal-Mart or most grocery stores. Washing soda is also known as soda ash. I understand you can also find soda ash in pool supply stores. I think it is called sodium carbonate. Hope that helps!

 

[wheelerkidz3]

You obviously won't need this information now since you finished your shirts already. But, for future reference, you can find Arm and Hammer Washing Soda(not baking soda) in the laundry aisle of Wal-Mart or most grocery stores. Washing soda is also known as soda ash. I understand you can also find soda ash in pool supply stores. I think it is called sodium carbonate. Hope that helps!

thanks for the info! actually, we will be doing another set of shirts, so it is helpful. if the ones we just did aren't very good, we are going to try again. if they do turn out...i want to do some more with diff colors!

 

[Kycha]

thanks for the info! actually, we will be doing another set of shirts, so it is helpful. if the ones we just did aren't very good, we are going to try again. if they do turn out...i want to do some more with diff colors!

Oh good! Please post pics cause we wanna see.

 

[graygables]

You obviously won't need this information now since you finished your shirts already. But, for future reference, you can find Arm and Hammer Washing Soda(not baking soda) in the laundry aisle of Wal-Mart or most grocery stores. Washing soda is also known as soda ash. I understand you can also find soda ash in pool supply stores. I think it is called sodium carbonate. Hope that helps!

Just so you know, washing soda is NOT a good alternative as it sometimes has other additives and you have to use a lot more of it to get the right Ph levels. (I'm a professional tie-dye artist now, so first hand experience here!)

The best thing to do is go to your pool store and get some PhUP or some places simply call it soda ash (sodium carbonate). It is a much better product yielding MUCH better results. Also, if you have a quilt store near you, look for synthrapol detergent. Wash your shirts in it both before and after and your colors will stay bright (and colorfast)!

 

[poohbear8]

I was at AC Moore today and they had soda ash by their tie dye kits and fabric markers.

Thank you for all of the info and help. We will be trying these tomorrow.