Tie dye basics

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Ranked #488 in DIY, #8,206 overall

Tie dye has been around for a long time--and for good reason

it's easy

anyone can do it

most of all---it's FUN!!

Here at Rupert, Gibbon and Spider---Jacquard Products we have everything you need to make great tie dye and our website is packed full of great information and instructions.

Basic supplies 

To make great tie dye you need great supplies.
Here is a list of stuff to get you started.
Procion MX dyes
Color!! The most important aspect of tie dye. Here are 43 great colors to choose from.
Soda Ash
A mild alkali that promotes the chemical reaction between Procion MX fiber reactive dye and cellulose fiber. Soda Ash is necessary to activate and "set" Procion dye.
Synthrapol
A mild soap specifically made for removing excess dye so that dried articles may be washed with other laundry. Also great for a prewash to remove any grease or sizing that may be on the fibres.
Clothes to dye
Dharma Trading is a great source for dyeables.

Basic tie dye folds 

Here are five simple folds to get you started.

the "Scrunch"
A REALLY simple fold to start out with. You could do it with a single color of dye or mix several together for unpredictable effects!
Horizontal Band
No it's not the my son's garage band! It's a basic fold, a good building block for more complicated designs.
The Rounded Yoke
Take your basic pleating skills to create a slightly more complex design.
the Spiral
A tie dye classic! Everybody wants to know how to do this one!
Stitched Heart
Stitched designs are easy to do and open up a world of creative possibilties!

TalkBack 

Folks seem to have a lot of opinions about how to do tie dye. Share your tips, opinions and feed back here!

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  • Reply
    david mcclure david mcclure Mar 9, 2009 @ 8:07 am
    cool stuff, just starting into this. anyone know of a tie dye simulator that may help me predict "probable" outcomes of the patterns/colors?
  • Reply
    Juan Juan Aug 8, 2007 @ 9:57 pm
    Hey, I found a website with really cool Chinese Tie Dye stuff. Very cool designs and patterns.
    http://www.galleriapangea.com/tie_dye_table_cloth_butterfly/product_details.html
  • Reply
    jeffwend jeffwend May 18, 2007 @ 10:44 am
    Great lens, I only knew how to make the spiral, now I can experiment with some other patterns.
  • Reply
    gods_grace_notes gods_grace_notes May 1, 2007 @ 12:21 am
    Hello, Group Member! You're invited to stop by club headquarters to find out about Mom's Day Open House!
    Best regards, Connie
    www.squidoo.com/groups/conniescraftaholicsclub

by noellee

Halllooooo out there!!! I'm a girl who likes color and making cool things. I work at a terrific place known to the world as Jacquard Products where fa...

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