Fun with tie-dye

I have just discovered the joy of tie-dyeing.

Since my fourth book is focused on the sea life knits (yes! more books are on their way!), I have been dyeing many fabrics in blue. I still have a long time until the photo shoots which allows me to experiment. This time, I am using cotton. I want to have variations in colour and style. I also want to try water mark effect if possible and, I think wool may not be suitable to achieve it.

This is my first try. I tied some parts at random, tightly and loosely for patchy effect. I used most common fabric dye available at a DIY shop.
I cooked over a low heat on a hub. It doesn’t look like taking much colour to start, but soon you will see.

Ideally, with chemical dye, the dye bath ends up almost clear at the end. I dyed with very little water to make it patchy.

I also tried tie-dye with more than one colour. To make the marking clear, you can tie with rubber bands. After dyeing in one colour, remove the bands and dye the same fabric in another dye bath. I got this idea from the lecture on Asian fabrics at spinners’ group.

It is so so easy and addicting.

You can make your summer dress with your own tie-dyed fabric. I wish I knew this a few years ago when I was learning dress making. You can also dye your plain white T-shirts this way of course.
Some may be a bit too strong to use as a background of sea life photos, but I am sure some work well. I can use it for a sky, too.

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