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Just Dye! While I was looking through some of my art books recently, I was really drawn to the artist Monet’s work. His “water lilies” painting just seemed to fit in so well with summer, and the colors were absolutely gorgeous. I’ve always loved the subtle ways impressionist painters use color to blend and melt into one another. It was right then that I remembered that I had a tie-dye kit I purchased for a project last year that I never used!
Now was the time to put my inspiration from the paintings into fashion action. I have been noticing different uses for dyes lately other than the typical tie-dye or ombré (gradual deepening of color from light to dark) dying. The other inspiration that hit me was graffiti!
What You’ll Need
- Tie-dye kit
The one that uses cold water is so easy to mix. It comes with applicator bottles and gloves as well! I used the Rainbow Rock One-Step Tie Dye Kit for around $11 at a local big box store and will do about 4 or 5 shirts.
- V-Neck T-shirts
I got 3 V-necks from Goodwill for $1.49 each in the men’s bin.
- Plastic garbage bags
- Plastic wrap
- Gloves
You’ll be glad your hands are covered when dealing with the dyed shirts. I had a purple finger for a day or so!
Once you’ve got your shirts that you want to get artsy with, make sure to wash them with a little bleach solution first. This will help the dye “take” to the fabric better. Next, I decided to use my mannequins to apply my paint, but you could also do a cardboard cut out of your torso, or even put the t-shirt over a garbage bag and drape over a lawn chair, which I did as well. The key here is to keep the dye from reaching the other side of the t-shirt. That is why it is important to make sure something is separating the front from the back.
T-shirt #1: I did a free form graffiti style. Just remember that the colors will blend so don’t overlap them too much or the color may become muddy. I had three colors to use: navy blue, bright pink and yellow. What I liked is that the design is only on the front of the t-shirt.
T-shirt #2: I did a necklace type of look using all three colors, just dotting them on the fabric as a kind of nod to graffiti or impressionism. This is the one where I draped it over a chair.
T-shirt #3 (and my favorite): I decided to go all the way around the V-neck, front and back, and allowed the dye to trickle down onto the body of the shirt. I then did small strokes with the bottle directly on the fabric to create a “feathery” effect.
When you’re all done with the dye, wrap the shirts in plastic bags or plastic wrap to let them cure. Leave the shirts separated and flat, and be sure not to let them dry out. For the t-shirt on a chair, I simply put the whole thing flat in another garbage bag. For the others, I wrapped the forms with plastic wrap; if you made your own cardboard cutout, you could wrap that, too.
After curing the t-shirts for at least 8 hours, wash each one separately on warm to remove leftover dye. Longer curing equals brighter colors.
I wore my feathery one to work and got a lot of compliments on it! Someone even asked me to make one for him. This is exactly why I believe in Goodwill Retail Stores & Donation Centers. They allow all of us to follow our creative instincts when it comes to fashion and to literally make something extraordinary out of something ordinary. So why don’t you get busy and have a t-shirt making party with some of your friends or family? Art can be fun and fashionable at the same time, as you can see!
askbjorn@goodwillsew.com
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