How to: Tie Dye Crumple Tutorial
How to: Tie Dye Crumple Tutorial
Tie Dye is only one way to dye fabric with swirling designs and crackle features. Try dip dying fabric. This simple process involves crumpling the fabric in the dye to produce an array of effects. There are no rubber bands required, and the results are different than conventional tie dye.
What You'll Need:
(Need help? Ask Rain on Facebook.)
More Ways to Dye Fabric
Mix the Dye, Submerge the Fabric
RIT dyes are easy to use because you just add hot water. The instructions will tell you to add enough water fo rthe fabric to move freely, but that is not really what we want here. The smaller your bucket, bowl or tray, the better. A small containter will block some of the fabric from getting dyed. Before adding the fabric to the water, make sure that it is clean and dry.
For a crackle effect, bunch up the fabric tightly in your hands.
For a loosely striped effect, fold the fabric like a paper fan.
Here, I simply dropped the fabric into the dye, letting it pile on top of itself.
Next, we will secure the fabric in place.
(Need help? Ask Rain on Facebook.)
More Ways to Dye Fabric
The RIT directions clearly state that you should be stirring around the fabric while the dye sets. For our purposes, we want the fabric to sit as still as possible.
Here, I used wooden spoons in an 'X' configuration to weight down the fabric. You can also use a ceramic bowl as shown. Just be sure not to use anything that you don't mind getting stained.
And now, we wait. It should take 10 to 30 minutes for the dye to set.
If you remove the fabric from the dye before at least 10 minutes, your crackle pattern will be lost. Try to be patient.
Next, let's remove and rinse the fabric.
(Need help? Ask Rain on Facebook.)
More Ways to Dye Fabric
After time is up, carefully lift the fabric out of the dye. Check out your pattern. If the fabric was very tightly compressed, you may have a lot of blank areas. You can re-crumple the fabric and go for another round of dying. Remember, the fabric will be lighter in color when it is dry.
Rinse the fabric under warm running water, then cold until the water runs clear. Then, machine wash the fabric in warm water, setting the rinse cycle to cold.
Don't try to save time by adding it to a load of laundry, or you'll have a bunch of stained clothes.
After the fabric has been rinsed and dried, give it another eyeballing. If you want to add more color, repeat the process again, using a different color of dye or another crumpling/folding technique. Here, I put it in the same dye again for a mere 5 minutes, stirring it all the while to fill the white splotches with a light gray.
Have you dyed your own fabric? We would love to see it. Upload a photo of your completed project.
(Need help? Ask Rain on Facebook.)
More Ways to Dye Fabric
Fast DIY Jewelry:
Milk Tab Bracelet . Pop Tab Bracelet . Make Paper Jewelry . Toothbrush Bracelet . Microchip Earrings . Hemp Necklace . Pressed Penny Bracelet
Easy Bags, Hats, Scarves and More:
4 Ways to Tie a Tie . Make Glittery Heels . 5 Placemat Purses . Cassette Tape Wallet . Duct Tape Wallet . How-To Bags . Finger Knit a Scarf . Gloves and Wristbands . Easy Zippered Change Purse
Clothes you can Make:
10 Upcycled T-shirt Tutorials .
Make Pants . Skirt Tutorials . Dye Your Clothes . Recycle Your Clothes . 10 Clothing Repairs You Should Know . Beginner Sewing Projects
Please Note: Photographs, patterns and illustrations contained in this article are copyrighted ©Rain Blanken and Getty Images, and licensed to About.com, Inc. Do not redistribute these photographs or illustrations in any form.
Tie Dye is only one way to dye fabric with swirling designs and crackle features. Try dip dying fabric. This simple process involves crumpling the fabric in the dye to produce an array of effects. There are no rubber bands required, and the results are different than conventional tie dye.
What You'll Need:
- A box of fiber reactive dye (What is fiber reactive dye?)
- Cellulose (plant) fabric like cotton. You can also use silk. (Kinds of Cellulose Fabrics).
- A bucket or deep tray
- Wooden spoons or a large plate to weigh down the fabric
(Need help? Ask Rain on Facebook.)
More Ways to Dye Fabric
Mix the Dye, Submerge the Fabric
RIT dyes are easy to use because you just add hot water. The instructions will tell you to add enough water fo rthe fabric to move freely, but that is not really what we want here. The smaller your bucket, bowl or tray, the better. A small containter will block some of the fabric from getting dyed. Before adding the fabric to the water, make sure that it is clean and dry.
For a crackle effect, bunch up the fabric tightly in your hands.
For a loosely striped effect, fold the fabric like a paper fan.
Here, I simply dropped the fabric into the dye, letting it pile on top of itself.
Next, we will secure the fabric in place.
(Need help? Ask Rain on Facebook.)
More Ways to Dye Fabric
The RIT directions clearly state that you should be stirring around the fabric while the dye sets. For our purposes, we want the fabric to sit as still as possible.
Here, I used wooden spoons in an 'X' configuration to weight down the fabric. You can also use a ceramic bowl as shown. Just be sure not to use anything that you don't mind getting stained.
And now, we wait. It should take 10 to 30 minutes for the dye to set.
If you remove the fabric from the dye before at least 10 minutes, your crackle pattern will be lost. Try to be patient.
Next, let's remove and rinse the fabric.
(Need help? Ask Rain on Facebook.)
More Ways to Dye Fabric
After time is up, carefully lift the fabric out of the dye. Check out your pattern. If the fabric was very tightly compressed, you may have a lot of blank areas. You can re-crumple the fabric and go for another round of dying. Remember, the fabric will be lighter in color when it is dry.
Rinse the fabric under warm running water, then cold until the water runs clear. Then, machine wash the fabric in warm water, setting the rinse cycle to cold.
Don't try to save time by adding it to a load of laundry, or you'll have a bunch of stained clothes.
After the fabric has been rinsed and dried, give it another eyeballing. If you want to add more color, repeat the process again, using a different color of dye or another crumpling/folding technique. Here, I put it in the same dye again for a mere 5 minutes, stirring it all the while to fill the white splotches with a light gray.
Have you dyed your own fabric? We would love to see it. Upload a photo of your completed project.
(Need help? Ask Rain on Facebook.)
More Ways to Dye Fabric
Fast DIY Jewelry:
Milk Tab Bracelet . Pop Tab Bracelet . Make Paper Jewelry . Toothbrush Bracelet . Microchip Earrings . Hemp Necklace . Pressed Penny Bracelet
Easy Bags, Hats, Scarves and More:
4 Ways to Tie a Tie . Make Glittery Heels . 5 Placemat Purses . Cassette Tape Wallet . Duct Tape Wallet . How-To Bags . Finger Knit a Scarf . Gloves and Wristbands . Easy Zippered Change Purse
Clothes you can Make:
10 Upcycled T-shirt Tutorials .
Make Pants . Skirt Tutorials . Dye Your Clothes . Recycle Your Clothes . 10 Clothing Repairs You Should Know . Beginner Sewing Projects
Please Note: Photographs, patterns and illustrations contained in this article are copyrighted ©Rain Blanken and Getty Images, and licensed to About.com, Inc. Do not redistribute these photographs or illustrations in any form.