I have been obsessed with tie dye since I was a little girl.
I remember specifically a pair of bell bottom leggings and top that my mom bought me at the local craft market.
I was literally still wearing the pants at varsity so those of you that have know me that long you'll know which ones I mean :)
I have been wanting to make my own tie dye clothing for years now but I just haven't had the courage to try it, nor did I know where to get all the goodies I need.
As we are currently in lock down I looked into it again hoping I could give it a try. Unfortunately I can't go get any coloured clothing dye, but I managed to find some ideas about doing in in reverse! Instead of adding colours - use bleach on something that already has colour! Yes!
WHAT YOU NEED:
* A bottle of bleach / JIK
- this is not something I usually have at home but as it's an essential item you can find it at any grocery store currently open and it's inexpensive
* Some sort of squeeze bottle which will allow you to control the amount of bleach that comes out
* Dishwashing gloves to protect your hands
* An item of clothing that's made of 100% cotton - can be any colour
* Some rubber bands or some string pieces will work too
STEP BY STEP:
Step 1:
* Select your clothing items to bleach
Step 2:
* Get your work area ready
* Make sure the bleach, rubber bands / string pieces and rubber gloves are close by
* I used the bath to work in
Step 3:
* Wet all clothing items and wring out excess water
Step 4:
* Prep all clothing items separately
* Use the scrunch up method to get the clothes ready
* Use the rubber bands / string to hold the clothing item in a tight ball. Tight enough to be able to turn it over without it falling apart
* Do this with each clothing item and lay it in the bath ready for the next step
Step 5:
* Using your gloves, spray / sprinkle the bleach onto the scrunched up clothing
* When you're happy with the one side flip it over carefully and repeat on the other side
- remember that the fabric may not react immediately so don't keep pouring it on till you see something happening
* The bleach will take only a few minutes to react so you need to be on standby
Step 6:
* As soon as you are happy with the look and the colour contrast untie it quickly (but carefully) and wash it with some mild detergent on a quick cycle right away to stop the bleach reacting
Step 7:
* Hang it to dry and admire your new clothes!
- if after drying you can still smell the bleach add it to your next load of washing for a second wash