Suzanne McNeill - Totally Awesome Tie-Dye: Fun-to-Make Fabric Dyeing Projects for All Ages (Design Originals) Step-by-Step Instructions for Ice, Resist, & Shibori Techniques for Stylish Shirts, Socks, Scarves, & More

Print ISBN 978-1-4972-0369-3
eISBN 978-1-6076-5496-4

COPY PERMISSION: The written instructions, photographs, designs, patterns, and projects in this publication are intended for the personal use of the reader and may be reproduced for that purpose only. Any other use, especially commercial use, is forbidden under law without the written permission of the copyright holder. Every effort has been made to ensure that all information in this book is accurate. However, due to differing conditions, tools, and individual skills, neither the author nor publisher can be responsible for any injuries, losses, or other damages which may result from the use of the information in this book. INFORMATION: All rights reserved. All images in this book have been reproduced with the knowledge and prior consent of the artists concerned and no responsibility is accepted by producer, publisher, or printer for any infringement of copyright or otherwise, arising from the contents of this publication. Every effort has been made to ensure that credits accurately comply with information supplied.

WARNING: Due to the components used in this craft, children under 8 years of age should not have access to materials or supplies without adult supervision. Under rare circumstances components of products could cause serious or fatal injury. Please read all safety warnings for the products being used. Neither New Design Originals, the product manufacturer, or the supplier is responsible.

NOTE: The use of products and trademark names is for informational purposes only, with no intention of infringement upon those trademarks.

2018 by Suzanne McNeill and New Design Originals Corporation, www.d-originals.com, an imprint of Fox Chapel Publishing, 800-457-9112, 903 Square Street, Mount Joy, PA 17552.

Totally Awesome Tie-Dye is a collection of new and previously published material. Portions of this book have been reproduced from Magic with Markers (ISBN 978-1-57421-626-4), Creative Dyeing for Fabric Arts with Markers & Alcohol Inks (ISBN 978-1-57421-659-2), and Tie-Dye 101 (ISBN 978-1-57421-389-8).

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Portions of this book were provided by Duncan Enterprises (; back cover jacket top left, top middle, top right.

Shutterstock Photos: P-fotography (cover bottom center, ).

Folding Technique

At its heart, tie-dye is a simple craft: its about adding color to fabric. Its the range of colors you can use and the myriad of ways to manipulate the fabric that make it so versatile and exciting.

The complicated spirals, circles, bursts, and other shapes made possible by tie-dye come from simple techniques. Fold, twist, pleat, or crumple the fabric, and tie it with very basic materialsa rubber band or string, for example. You can create infinite bold iterations even before adding simple resists and stitching techniques to the mix.

Tie-dye techniques have been used for centuries all over the world, from Nigeria to pre-Columbian Peru to Japan to Thailand. Modern psychedelic tie-dyeing became popular in the late 1960s as rock stars donned brightly colored tie-dyed T-shirts, and their fans followed. Today, dyes made for tie-dye have never been more vibrant, and the effects you can create only begin with the classic sixties rainbow spiral.

Perhaps the reason that tie-dyeing has remained so popular through the years is the individuality it brings to your wardrobe. You can easily turn a standard, mass-produced shirt into a unique work of art that expresses your personality and shows off your skills. Every creation is different, and it is always exciting to unwrap your project, rinse it out, and see what you find.

Classic 1960s tie-dyeing used retail household dyes to create its iconic bold patterns, but today you can find fiber-reactive dyes designed especially for tie-dye. These dyes react with fibers that have an alkaline pH, creating a permanent bond. Of course, that means your fabric needs have a high pH. To raise its pH, we usually use soda ash (sodium carbonate). That means either soaking your fabric in a soda ash solution or finding a dye to which its already been added.

Tip:

When dyeing with children, it is recommended that you purchase dye with soda ash directly added into it. If you prefer to soak the fabric in a soda ash fixative, its a good idea to prepare the solution ahead of time since the soda ash can be dusty. As always, make sure children wear gloves and do not have easy access to the solution.

The supplies are simple. The possibilities are endless! Heres what you need to get started.

First, youll need to decide what to tie-dye. The cotton T-shirt is a classic choice, of course, but dont let your imagination stop there. You can use the same techniques to dye fabric clothing, home dcor, party dcor, accessories, and giftsanything that wont come in contact with food.

Tie-dyeing works best on natural fibers such as cotton, rayon, and hemp. Make sure you know what fibers all of the pieces of your garment contain, especially if they arent the same as the main fabricthis includes any stitching, borders, appliqus, and so on.