After the Kool aid tie dye did NOT work, I looked again to the internet to find a way to make tie dye shirts without a kit. (because I still could not find any kits or fabric dyes here in Japan)
I came across a few blogs and youtube videos about using acrylic paints. Below is what I did.
I came across a few blogs and youtube videos about using acrylic paints. Below is what I did.
First you collect your materials...
Then Mix 1 part acrylic paint to 1 part rubbing alcohol.
Start mixing. I just used a plastic spoon with plastic containers.
At first it will be gloppy. This is the alcohol starting to separate the color and oils and such... You can add more alcohol as the colors get smoother.
Once you have a nice smooth consistency, you are ready to strain.
Once you strain it, you will see the "plastic" stuff in the strainer. That is the part of the paint that gives the paint the hard stiff feeling when dried.
Once you have strained your paint mixture, you can add a little more alcohol. About an ounce of paint gave me a full 5-6 oz bottle of squeeze tie dye color!
Have fun preparing your shirts and coloring them!
Once I colored them I let them dry overnight. I would have hung them outside, except it was raining out! I still think my kool aid ones looked better, they were more vibrant... Oh well! These turned out great looking too!
After drying overnight, I took a deep breath and followed the directions on the other tutorials that say to put them in the cold salt water bath to set the colors... The colors did NOT bleed out! I was so happy at this! I ran them through a normal wash and they are just ever so slightly faded but I suppose that is just the color setting in. They are not really stiff either... I think diluting them with the alcohol helped get the stiffness out of the paints for dyeing. They turned out GREAT and I will definitely do this again if I cannot find any dye's or kits.
This would be a great activity to do with a bunch of kids! You could do all sorts of patterns too! I loved doing this project and am very happy with the way they turned out! We will be wearing these matching tie-dye shirts at the airports for our travels home. Each of us have at least 2 of them (this way if we need to change for any reason... we have kids... that we have another and can still match)
Just curious... why did they say to use the iso. alcohol?
ReplyDeleteit separates the oils and such from the paint, that way it wont be stiff when it dries
DeleteOk so im a little confused. I use rubbing alcohol to remove paint.
DeleteCool
ReplyDeleteThank you for your great tutorial.Did the color fade after multiple washings?
ReplyDeleteI use acrylic paints to all of my tie dye. My method is slightly different. I use approx. one oz paint, 1/4 tsp salt, and 1/2 tsp vegetable glycerin in a 8oz bottle and fill with warm water until combined. The glycerin and salt keep the fabric from being stiff when dried. I allow my pieces to dry completely and also throw them in the dryer to insure they are completely dry. Next I soak my pieces in cold water and vinegar. I have been able to use this method with multiple fabrics including lace. I will definitely try straining my dyes after I mix them, after reading this article. Thank you
ReplyDeleteBut how much rubbing alcohol do you put in it..an can u use Glow in the dark paint to
ReplyDeleteYes you can also use a fabric medium it will also be soft.. just make sure its thin enouph to go thru the layers
ReplyDeleteTotal win dude. Curious, 🧐 how does it look now (if u still have it) after washing multiple times and wearing?? Once the paint started separating I threw mine out, didn't think to keep diluting and stain until I saw this post.
ReplyDeletexoxo b.jo
how long do i soak it in saltwater for?
ReplyDelete