420 PROVISIONS - the TIE DYE T
HOW TO MAKE A
TIE DYE T-SHIRT
So Tys and I were listening to some tunes the other night…
and he’s like “wouldn’t it be cool if we made tie-dyed t-shirts for the McGowan’s 420 show!?'“, and I was like “YASSSSSS BABE! I have a tie-dye kit under the basement stairs!”. So we got to it and figured we’d make a little video.
The tie-dye kit in our basement, this is courtesy of my sister Christina. She’s the BEST. (She also designed the River City Revival House logo & Starlite Sessions logo… message or email me if you want her contact info!) While this video was uploading, I was looking around online to find locally owned hobby shops that might sell these kits, but unfortunately it seems like most shops are currently close or sold out, although they can order kits in for you… HOBBY WHOLESALE … kits are also available online and at big box chain stores. If the chain stores don’t interest you, you can buy fabric dye from THEATRE GARAGE, although I didn’t see any soda ash on their website. Soda Ash is a pretty important step when you’re dying any fabric, it makes the colour ‘stick’ and stay vibrant. I’ve never made my own, so I’m not sure if this is right but I did Google a fair bit of Soda Ash recipes and they were all similar, SODA ASH RECIPE.
TOOLS NEEDED:
FABRIC DYE (your choice of colours)
SODA ASH (1 cup per 1 gallon 4 litres of water)
BUCKET or BOWL (to soak fabric in water & soda ash in)
WATER WARM (see above, plus more to mix dye)
DYE RECEPTACLE (this can be a squeeze bottle*, bowls etc.)
RUBBER GLOVES (at least two pairs one for dying, one for untying)
GREAT TUNES
RUBBER BANDS
THINGS YOU WANT TO TIE DYE:
We did T-Shirts, but I’ve done dresses, skirts, sheets, baby jumpers etc. Whatever you want! Dye time changes by over 12 hours if you use blended synthetic fabrics. For example, we used 100% cotton t-shirts, and the dye time is about 12- 14 hours (you can go longer), if you were to use a cotton-polly blend, dye time is over 24 hours. All dye should have the instructions, if not Google will! Natural fibres hold colours brighter and longer.
I just die hearing my voice on video, so I figured I’d write the ‘how to’, as opposed to subjecting myself (and the internet) to that strange thing my voice does when I know I’m being recorded. The how to steps are under the video. ENJOY!
Alright…
STEP 1
Crack a beer, mix a drink, or roll a joint. Put on some great tunes. I chose the Dead, but feel free to choose anything.
STEP 2
Mix your SODA ASH with WARM/HOT WATER. 1 cup of soda ash per 4 Litres/16 Cups of water. Let the fabric soak in the water-soda ash mixture for 20 minutes to an hour (depending on fabric blend). Once the fabric has soaked, ring it out, you want your fabric damp, but not dripping.
STEP 3
Time to fold your design. Let your creativity pour through you. There are a lot of patterns and designs online if you need help, I always find it’s more fun to go your own way. I feel most online tutorials are so perfect, I get frustrated with them, and what I love about tie dye is its beautiful imperfection.
STEP 4*
Mix the dye according to the directions.
*Above I starred squeeze bottles… with the COVID-19 Pandemic, there is a major shortage of hand sanitizer receptacles. Local companies across the country are stepping up to provide us with hand sanitizer), the problem (I don’t know what to call it, its not a problem, but, there is a problem) is, companies across the globe are doing the same. This is causing every Edmonton, Alberta and Canadian company to run out of receptacles for hand sanitizer. My friend Adam from Strathscona Sprits has been making hand sanitizer for Edmonton Hospitals, front line workers, grocery store employees, frankly everyone in need. His biggest obstacle is, is that it is very difficult to find personal sized receptacles, especially pumps. My friend Cameron Noyes has been working hard to provide meals for some of Edmonton’s most vulnerable people. He has received donations of hand sanitizers, although these donations could only come in gallon pails, so… if you purchase a tie dye kit, OR have any personal sized squeeze bottles at home, I ask that you donate them, instead of recycling them. Please contact us for donation options… (click)
STEP 5
Time for the dye. Be sure to do this outside or in a well covered protected area. Wear gloves. Be creative! Let the colours flow! If you’ve watched the video and would like less white then the t-shirts I dyed, you are gonna really want to get the dye into every nook and cranny. Afterwards, what you’re gonna need to do is squeeze the fabric, this will squeeze the dye into the inside layers.
You can use squeeze bottles to get that more precise coverage, or, use bowls and dip your your fabric.
Try and remember the colour wheel. If you mix purple and orange and/or green you might get poo brown. One of my favourite tee’s growing up was one with brown and blue, so its not bad, just not nice in rainbow colours.
STEP 6
Once you have dyed your fabric to your liking, seal the fabric in a zip lock bag. If you are dying sheets, or any other large size fabric, place in a garbage bag and seal it. You will need to avoid temptation for at least 12 hours. NO OPENING THE BAGS. Minimum 12 hours for organic fabric, 24 for blended. Once the 12 to 24 our minimum, you can take the fabric out of the bag but I suggest you don’t until you are ready to untie. OH and don’t leave it for over 36 hours! it turns your tie dye into dyed blotches - ish,
STEP 7
When I took our shirts out of the bags I placed them on a baking sheet, you do you, this was not a necessary step. So, in the video I took our creations up to the bathtub, mostly out of habit.
WEAR GLOVES. I was out of gloves, so I tried an old pack of sandwich bags I never use, no fingers equal tricky. When your cutting off your ties, try not to splash in your face! Be gentle.
If you watched the video you saw how when I cut my ties how the shirts looked VS how they looked prior to me putting them in the rinse. What happens once you cut the ties is the colour starts to bleed, (and drip, thats why I cut in the tub) the bleed colour doesn’t (or shouldn’t) have time to set.
STEP 8
RINSE. When I lived in an apartment and had a shared laundry space, I’d rinse my tie dye in the bathtub. Now I just rinse directly in the washer.
IN THE TUB… you are gonna need to rinse long and hard, in very cold water, for a long time, until the water runs clear. You will see so much dye run off your fabric that you will think your tie dye is ruined. The water will look black.
IN THE WASHER… toss in what you got, together is fine. Turn your washer to COLD, and the setting to RINSE. In the washer I put my tie dye through twice, likely the luxury, or… the shear fear of ruining other clothes.
DISCLAIMER *** I have ruined a metric shit ton of clothes. NEVER ONCE from tie dye.
STEP 9
WASH. I suggest for the first time washing to wash separate. After the first wash you can wash as you feel with all the rest of your coloured clothes. AGAIN… I have never ruined clothes from tie dye.
THANK YOU…
the McGowan Family Band
for providing us inspiration
Blindman Brewery
for providing us beer
the Grateful Dead
for providing us tight tracks
Christina Cooper
for being clutch and dope as shit
CANADA
for Canadians.