Tie Dye Joy

  

Our homeschool group got together to try tie dyeing.  It was marvelous fun!  We used fiber reactive procion dyes, the same ones I use for dyeing the shirts I sell on Etsy, as well as the shirts I've been making for Jasper since he was a baby.  Most tie dye kits use fuchsia, yellow, and turquoise, which does blend together to make a rainbow.  I didn't have fuchsia on hand to use, because pink has become so gender-defined and I want my shirts to be more neutral.  So we went with red, yellow, and blue, and threw in some black as well.  Our supplies came from Dharma Trading (supplying the Bay Area with tie dye necessities since 1969).  They sell ready-made kits, as well as all the separate necessities:  urea, soda ash fixer, special laundry detergent, squeeze bottles, and handy booklets with instructions for making classic patterns.

Jasper wanted a spiral.  So he folded his shirt, and I tied it up with string.  Then we soaked all the shirts in soda ash fixer, and went outside to squirt on the dyes mixed with urea.  After that, the shirts are kept wet, in plastic bags, to soak overnight, then rinsed and washed the next day.  Jasper could hardly wait to wear the shirt he created.  We made a couple pairs of socks for him too.  I made a shirt for him myself but his turned out way better.  I have to say this is much more fun as  a group activity than it is done alone!