Mrs. Sheridan’s Tie-Dying Instructions

1. Mrs. Sheridan’s Tie-Dying Instructions

2. Table of Contents • Tie-Dying Kits • Buying Tie Dying Materials • Selecting Colors of Dyes • Mixing Colors • Primary Color Scheme • Other Color Schemes • Preparing the Shirt for Tying and Dying • How to Tie the T-Shirt • Dying the T-Shirt • Washing and Drying the T-Shirt

3. Tie-Dying Kits • For only making a few tie-dyed t-shirts, I would recommend purchasing a tie-dye kit made by a company called Jacquard. These kits contain Procion dyes. These dyes are the finest dyes I have ever used. They are professional dyes. The kits are sold in Solon at JoAnn Fabrics. You can also find the kits at Pat Catan’s at Broadway and Rockside Roads.

4. For making a large number of shirts, I would purchase all the materials separately. They can be found at Pat Catan’s. Materials to purchase: Bottles of powdered Procion dyes in selected colors. ( See Selecting Colors of Dye.) Soda ash 100% white cotton t-shirt Rubber bands Rubber gloves Plastic bags & twist ties Squeeze bottles ( You can also use something like an empty liquid dish soap container or mustard or ketchup dispenser. You might try squirt top water bottles too.) Measuring teaspoon Clothes pin (clip type) Plastic sheeting Newspaper Buying Tie Dying Materials

5. Selecting Colors of Dyes • The 3 basic colors of dye you might choose are:RED, BLUE,and YELLOW. These are the 3 colors that come with the tie-dye kit. These are also the primary colors. You cannot mix any colors together to make these colors. Also, you can mix any two primary colors together to produce the secondary colors of orange, green, and violet. • When purchasing these colors in Procion Dyes, choose: • FUCHSIA(for the red) • TURQUOISE (for the blue) • LEMON YELLOW (for the yellow) • For additional colors pick the secondary colors. The names in Procion Dyes are: • BRILLIANT ORANGE • MARINE VIOLET • BRIGHT GREEN

6. Mixing Colors • MIXING DIRECTIONS: Dyes can be made in clean glass jars and then carefully poured into the squirt bottles. • For the very best results, use the mixed dyes as soon as possible. Professional tie-dyers use the dyes within one day. The dyes do last up to one month. Dispose of old mixed dyes and don’t waste on a good t-shirt. Therefore, mix only what you think you will need. • For small quantities of dye use 2 teaspoons of most dyes per cup of hot water. But use 4 teaspoons of turquoise dye per cup. • If you want to use black dye it takes 6 teaspoons of black dye per cup of water!! • For large quantities of dye mix 1 bottle of Procion Dye with 3 cups of water. • Remember to use 2 bottles of turquoise per 3 cups of water.

7. Primary Color Scheme • Basically, you want to pick colors that blend well when placed side by side. You do not want to end up with muddy colors. • You can’t go wrong using 2 or all 3 of the PRIMARY COLORS. • They are RED (fuchsia) YELLOW and BLUE (turquoise). • When you place two of these colors next to each other they make a SECONDARY COLOR. • RED + YELLOW= ORANGE • YELLOW + BLUE= GREEN • BLUE + RED= VIOLET

8. Other Color Schemes THE COLOR SPECTRUM/THE COLOR WHEEL The colors of the color wheel are found in the Color Spectrum. Many students like to use all six on combination. The color spectrum goes in this order: R-O-Y-G-B-V / RED-ORANGE-YELLOW-GREEN-BLUE-VIOLET ANALOGOUS COLORS Analogous colors are colors that are neighbors on the color wheel. They YELLOW-ORANGE- RED are 2 primary colors and the secondary color in between. You can also use 2 of the analogous colors instead of all 3. They are: RED-VIOLET-BLUE BLUE-GREEN-YELLOW COMPLIMENTARY COLORS These are colors you don’t want to use together! Do not use complimentary colors next to each other. They make a muddy brown. They are colors directly across each other on the color wheel.They are: RED & GREEN YELLOW & VIOLET BLUE & ORANGE

9. Preparing the Shirt for Tying and Dying • First of all, the shirt must be 100% cotton or it will not hold the dye. • Always prewash the the shirt. It contains a fabric finish when it is new and this prevents all the dye from being absorbed into the fibers. Washing will remove the finish. • Presoak the shirts in 1 cup of soda ash to 1 gallon of water. If you mix this with your hands, wear rubber gloves. Soak for 15 minutes to 1 hour. The soda ash solution losses its effectiveness after 1 hour. You can no longer use it. Dispose of the soda ash solution. • Squeeze out the soaked shirt. Wear rubber gloves when doing this. • You are now ready to tie your shirt.

10. How to Tie the T-Shirt These are the directions for creating a swirl design. In the classroom I place this on a large sheet of plastic to protect the tables. • Place the shirt out flat with the front side down. The side that is down always has the better appearance. • Place a clothes pin where you wish the center of the swirl to be. Remember, the that center of the shirt may come down low on the person wearing it. You may want to have the center of the swirl off center, near the top, or near the bottom. • Holding the clothes pin, swirl the shirt. Gather up loose edges as you go. The shirt should not go up in a point, but rather gather up only a few inches above the work surface. When you are finished, it will be similar in size and shape to a round layer of cake. • Gently lift the twisted shirt and place a rubber band across the shirt, crossing the center point. Add two more rubber bands, creating six “pie” sections. These do not have to be equal in size. • Turn the shirt over and make sure that the rubber bands cross or X across the center of the swirl. • You are now ready to dye.

11. Dying the Tied Shirt • In the classroom I cover the tables with plastic sheeting to prevent the dye from staining the surface. • If you are dying outside, you can work on the grass. • Place an entire newspaper under the tied t-shirt. I like to have the newspaper in 2 large sections. The newspaper will absorb the dyes that overflow the shirt. • Remember the color scheme that you will be using. • Put on the rubber gloves. • Using the squirt bottles containing the mixed dye, start with your first color. Carefully tip the bottle over and point it at the triangular “pie section” of the tied shirt. Start near the edge and squeeze the dye out gently. Move toward the center as you dye that section. • Change colors as you go around the shirt. For three colors you will repeat the colors twice on each side. • When you turn over the shirt, flip the newspaper to a clean section. • You will be able to see the colors used on the sections of the dyed side. Repeat the same colors on the second side. • When the shirt is dyed on both side, place the shirt inside a plastic bag. Twist tie this closed. • You will leave the shirt inside the bag for 24 or more hours. This will allow the dyes to set in the fibers.

12. Washing and Drying the Tie-Dyed Shirt • Again, leave the dyed shirt inside a sealed plastic bag for at least 24 hours. • There are two ways to rinse and wash a dyed shirt. • The first way is to rinse the shirt out in a sink or with a hose until most of the dye is gone and the shirt rinses fairly clean. Remove the rubber bands and continue to rinse, if necessary. • Place up to seven rinsed shirts in a washer and wash with detergent. ((Warm water is okay.) • You may place the shirts in the dryer or line dry, if you choose. • The 2nd way works well with a single dyed shirt. You may skip the rinsing and instead place the shirt in the washer and wash it alone in a complete load of water. No prerinsing is necessary. Dry. • Now wear your shirt!