Summer is tie dye time. While store bought tie-dye is easier to accumulate, D.I.Y. tie-dye can be a fun summer project.
Jill Aiman works on a Rainbow Spiral dyed design on a sarong at Tie Dye Everything in downtown Moscow. Steven Devine | summer arg
Arlene Falcon, owner of Tie-dye Everything in downtown Moscow, said there are many necessary materials to make tie-dye.
“When you want to tie-dye, you would need a material that is 100 percent cotton because it works well and other clothing just doesn’t take the dye the same. You need to know the basics such as folding the garment, apply the dye and then wash it out. You also need to know the colors to use,” Falcon said.
You do not need to have a lot of experience to tie-dye but there are some basic skills that are important in order to get the job done well.
“It is very important to have a basic understanding of colors. You can start with rainbows and use those colors before moving on to other complicated color combinations. Each of us has colors we love and it helps us starting and getting into the color combination,” Noel Jones, a Tie-Dye Everything employee, said.
Anyone can make good tie dye out of just about anything, they just have to go through the process correctly. Falcon explained the process in brief details.
“You need to fold the garment and there are three different ways – spiral, crinkle or accordion folds or a combination of the three patterns. Apply the dye — which you could either do by immersion or by direct application. Leave the material to sit overnight and then wash it,” Falcon said.
Jones said tie-dye is something anyone can have fun doing, including clumsy people and those who encounter difficulties with being careful.
“With doing tie-dye, you don’t really have to be that careful. If you are trying certain patterns, you need to be a little more precise but you can be sloppy for the most part,” Jones said.
Falcon said dye is a very delicate thing to deal with because it stains and could bleed onto other clothes.
“Wash the tie-dye to take out the extra dye. The tie-dye bleeds out the first few washes but afterward, the color stays bright forever. We have a special soap to wash them so the color doesn’t bleed,” Falcon said.
The motto at Tie-dye Everything is to “Celebrate life with the joy of color”.
Jill Aiman, employee at Tie-dye Everything, said “Tie-dye is definitely an art form that gives you the opportunity to develop a creative space and try out new ideas.”
Toluwani Adekunle can be reached at [email protected].