I Got The Tie Dye Bug!

This is something I have wanted to do for a long time. I am a tie dye junkie, most of my clothes are tie dyed, and it is rare that I don't leave the house with at least one thing tie dyed on my body.

Back in the spring, we (me, my daughter, her bestie and daughter) tried 'staining' as tie dye. Using all the things that stain your clothes as the dye, ya know, coffee, red wine, mustard. It was a fun experiment, and the result were interesting. I think it would have been better if we would have let it sit several days, instead of an hour :)

A few weeks ago, my daughter hit me up, she had bought some liquid rit dye, and was going to re do her stained shirt. EXCITING!! We then devised a plan based on our limited knowledge of tie dying and the experiences we had had with rit dye. 

1. use vinegar and water to wet the shirt

2. rubber band it

3. dye it

4. let it set a week

5. rinse, wash, wear

Her shirt turned out awesome!

Well now I caught the bug. I used liquid rit, soaked shirts in salt water (which i have now found out doesn't work with rit) and set the color with vinegar water, that does work!

I didn't document my first process with rit, so I did it again with two shirts so I can do a comparison when my professional dyes come next week. Yes! I jumped in with both feet, and I am going to start tie dying!!!

This is my first attempt. This is a rayon type fabric? was done with rit dye, soaked in vinegar water, and let set for 1 week before rinsing - SLAY!

This is a cotton dress, done in salt water, and let set for 4 days, washed and dried. Pretty, but not as bold as I wanted. 

Here is one of my favorite shirts, stained of course. Gauze material. Soaked in salt water and rubber banded randomly. 

here is another fav shirt, of course coffee stained.... I did the crinkle style on this one. 

both shirts, crinkle on left, random on right

I put a rack over a plastic bowl and used squirt bottles to apply the dye. This way, I could pour the dye down the sink, and not make such a mess. 

welcome to the house of a creative! we have no shame in our creating game, and use the whole house :)

i learned my lesson from the last tie dye session and i hung these two shirts in the shower to air for a week before rinsing. The first time I did it, I had them on racks on the shower floor, but due to all the salt, there was tons of rust, and it ruined the racks. Now we wait a week!

Thanks Mr. Clean Magic Eraser! 

Tune in again next week for the reveal and the final vinegar setting process!!!

All of my jewelry creations are based on the metaphysical properties of the stones or the colors that are incorporated. Jewelry should be a window to our soul, a protector of our emotions and a companion to our spirit. All of my other creations come directly from my heart in hopes they touch yours as well. Celebrate yourself with healing jewelry, and other gift ideas made with love!