this is my tried and true method for creating vibrant tie dyes with gorgeous color splits and high saturation 🙂
materials needed:
1. dye powder
– i personally love the dyes from dharma trading company! they recently added ice dye swatches so you can see how the dye will split
2. sodium carbonate (aka soda ash)
– DO NOT USE BAKING SODA!! THEY ARE NOT THE SAME THING!! you can use arm and hammer washing soda in place of soda ash and it will work just fine, just use a bit more since it’s cut with water
3. cubed/crushed ice
– i like to buy this in bags from the grocery store. you want enough to liberally cover your items in the dye pans. maybe 2lbs/shirt?
4. dye pans
– i use the shallow foil ones you’d use for baking. you can comfortably fit two XL adult tshirts in one pan
5. 50-100% cotton items
– dharma fiber reactive dyes will only permanently color cotton. the more cotton is in your item, the more vibrant the colors will be. i’ve had success dyeing hoodies that were 50% cotton, but the colors will not be as saturated due to the plastic content
Start by washing and drying the items as normal.
Soak the items in hot water and soda ash for 15-20 minutes, then squeeze out extra solution until the items are damp and not dripping.
Squinch up the items in the dye pans or spiral and set into the pans.
Sprinkle a little extra soda ash on the shirts for good luck.
Generously layer the ice over your items.
Sprinkle on dye powder starting with any light colors.
That’s it! Let sit for 24 hours and then rinse in cold water until the water is clear(it might be tinted but you should be able to see through it). Then wash and dry as normal with like colors. Be careful to cover your bins if you keep them outside or lay down big trash bags if you’re dyeing indoors. The dye overflow/drips can and probably will stain porous surfaces.