Simple Method to Crush-Dye t-shirts

Zip Bag Dyeing: Jays Patented method for a double-crushed wardrobe OR How to Dye Twice and survive to do it again.
Its been too hot in my garage to screen print this week so I've revisited a craft I've posted on before, which is hand dyeing. Its a crazy art and its almost as old as human history but this modern life affords us some bennies. This is a tutorial on a NEW way of coloring small items like t-shirts and how to make altered garments for your enjoyment. This was mentioned anecdotally on a couple websites I saw and I thought about it and figured there was no way to really screw it up. And there isn't! This is a common sense technique and it doesn't even make a mess. If you have a sink in your garage you're home free.
I have to post this link because its THE source for info on hand dyeing and tackles techniques much more complex then this one but where you would go for the next level http://www.pburch.net/dyeing.shtml

By by reading this page I got the concepts I used to formulate this technique so you don't really have to!

Step 1: Materials , Sources and Costs

The very short list of what you need to make this happen:

A spoon

A 1-Gallon "Zip-Lock" style bag (the wal-mart brand actually leaked less then the name brand ?)

A 100% cotton shirt

A sink that makes hot water (doesn't have to be scalding)

A pack of DYLON brand Permanent Fabric Dye (its a one step warm water fiber reactive dye you will get much better results with this dye then with "RIT") This dye is usually in the CRAFT area of the store and not in the laundry area.

A spoonful of salt

A bucket in case it leaks a little in the bag

And an area to work in.

Comments

[gleavitt]

I'm thinking of combining this technique with bleach stenciling on shirts. My thought is to take a darker shirt and bleach stencil it, then bag dye it to replace some of the color in the bleached out portions. Thoughts or recommendations on this?

[AlisonM]

The Dylon is very cool stuff. You don't have as much color flexibility as with procion, but it's a one-step fiber reactive dye. Something else you might want to try for ha-has, very carefully sprinkle a little of the dye powder directly onto the shirt, try to keep that part in a scrunched-up area to minimize color mixing, and continue. You'll get these really intense burst of color in the middle. Use a respirator or do it outdoors. An old spice shaker is good for this. After the dye is set, while the shirt is still wet, you can also drop water in spots and the color will spread out in rings around the dots. . .or use pretzel salt (not table salt or big chunky salt) and it will draw the color in towards itself in little starbursts.

[diN0bot]

The links in your instructions recommend using soda ash to raise the pH to 10 or 11. Will salt do the trick? I am dying a shirt now and will hopefully remember to comment again in a couple weeks regarding how much dye comes out after multiple washes. Anyone else have experience with this?

[camscam]

The brand of dye from these instructions has the soda ash built in, thats why I recommend it for ease of use. The colors remain fairly bright long term.

[diN0bot]

word. i'm now using procion mx cold water fabric dye. i bought soda ash (powder) separately. i'm posting an instructable on it now-- not to steal your thunder, since this was a great instructable. sometimes i wish instructables were more like wiki's (collaborative) than recipes (strict single path). it's not clear how to make collaborative instructing work.. i guess that's more like experimentables or knowledgables.

[camscam]

Thats cool. post a link in my instructable. when you're done. I view our community as a research tool because I've never exactly followed anyones technique. Its a blend of many -so I'm assuming everyone else is a human blender too. Only the instructables robot is a robot.

[diN0bot]

snap!

tye dye with procion (soda ash)

and linked back.

[planitL]

I don't get it...are you putting all the dyes in the same bag all at the same time? Wouldn't the dyes mix all into one color?

[camscam]

If you actualy read the instructions you'll understand. ...but I'll simplify it for ya. Step ONE: Dye it the first color Step TWO: Dye it the second color. Rinse and dry between dye baths. You still think it will mix?