SUPPLIES & TOOLS:
• White 100% cotton T-shirt
• Rit All-Purpose Liquid Dye: Evening Blue & Navy
• Rubber bands
• 15.5 Litres (4-Gallon) plastic tub or bucket
DIRECTIONS:
1. Cover table with plastic. Gather supplies.
Freshen up plain T-shirts with Shibori dying techniques simply by folding, tying and dyeing your shirts to reveal bold colours and patterns!
• Measuring cup
• Plastic or metal stirring spoon
• Salt
• Liquid dish detergent
• Rubber gloves
• Scissors
2. Pre-wash T-shirt with detergent, rinse and leave wet
3. Accordion fold or “fan fold” the T-shirt lengthwise in approximately 2” wide folds.
4. Then wrap rubber bands tightly at spaced intervals (about 1” apart or spaced as desired) along the length of the folded T-shirt.
5. Set aside rubber-banded T-shirt to prepare the dyebath
6. To prepare dyebath: Fill large dye container with 11.4 litres (3 gallons) very hot water tap water (60ºC or 140F). If water is not hot enough, heat some water in a cook pot or teapot. Shake dye bottles before pouring. Wearing rubber gloves, add ½ cup of Evening Blue dye and approximately 2 tablespoons Navy dye to hot water. Stir well.
7. For cotton fabrics, add 1 cup of salt to dyebath. This helps to intensify the colour. Then add a squirt of liquid dish detergent. Stir well.
8. Test dye colour by dipping a paper towel into the dyebath. If colour is too light, add more dye (add more Navy for a darker blue); if colour is too dark, add more water.
• Paper towels
• Plastic table cover
• Mild detergent
• Rit ColorStay Dye Fixative (recommended)
9. Immerse the rubber-banded T-shirt into the dyebath. For a high contrast pattern, keep the T-shirt in the dye for about 3 to 5 minutes to keep the bound up part dye-free. For more colour and less white areas, let the T-shirt in the dyebath for 10 to 20 minutes.
10. When the desired colour is achieved, remove the wrapped T-shirt from the dyebath. Squeeze out excess dye. Do not remove the rubber bands.
11. Recommended: To enhance the colour and reduce colour bleeding, use Rit ColorStay Dye Fixative immediately after dyeing and before washing, following package instructions. Leave T-shirt in fixative for 20 minutes.
12. Remove T-shirt from fixative. Squeeze out excess water. Carefully cut rubber bands from the T-shirt and unfold.
13. Rinse T-shirt in cool water until rinse water begins to run clear.
14. Then wash the T-shirt in warm water with mild detergent by hand or in your washing machine with an old towel, rinse and dry.