THE BEAUTY OF OMBRE (DIP-DYEING)

Ombre dyeing is an ancient art. It involves dipping the dye into a vat and then gradually pulling it out again so that the dye gradually gets deeper and deeper. It has been used in India to great effect as it is an alternative to printing but it has also been used by the great fashion houses such as Chanel for their designer collections on luxury fabrics such as silk.
Below is a great video on the art of ombre dyeing and it really is easy to do at home. Give it a go!

            

Try it on a white t-shirt! Or even a yellow one you could dip it in red!!

ALL THINGS BLUE INDIGO A NAURAL PLANT-BASED DYE

Indigo Blue

One of my favourite colours to dye with is indigo blue.  It is a beautiful rich vivid  blue and is used for jeans, denim shirts and for almost every conceivable item of clothing.
 Fashion designers like this colour so much that they have done whole fashion collections based on this colour alone. It has been used in many different techniques among them the Japenese method of Shibori, ombre dip-dye  and even batik. Indigo is a natural plant-based dye although now there are manufactured chemical based indigo dyes. The Jacquard kit below is a great starting-point for creating an indigo-dyed creation!

WHERE CAN I GET WHITE T-SHIRTS FOR TIE-DYE?

When you are tie-dyeing t-shirts its worth doing a batch of t-shirts simply because the preparation involved in tie-dye can be time-consuming so you might as well get a few done for family and friends in the same session. 
Remember to wash the t-shirts in a detergent beforehand to remove any residue.

Buying t-shirts in bulk is the most economical way. Fruit of the Loom at Amazon do a good price and there are a large range of sizes and colours. If you are having a tie-dye workshop or children's party its cheaper to get the t-shirts in bulk.

Remember, you don't always need to dye on a white t-shirt. If you put yellow dye onto a turquoise t-shirt, you would green. It can be fun experimenting. so  get out your colour wheel!





 A Colour Wheel can be invaluable in helping you decide which colours will work well together and which colours might clash.

         

Popular Tie-Dye Kits

Popular Tie-Dye Kits

Summers Coming and its time to get Crafty!! The fun time to tie-dye is on a hot sunny day when you can set up your tie-dye table outside in the garden. Your tie-dyes dry in no time on the washing line. Even the job of rinsing out the excess dye becomes so much easier. 
There are some brilliant tie-dye kits on the market that suit many tastes. The beauty of these kits is that everything you need to tie-dye is in there even the rubber gloves.
Fortunately for us, here in the UK, many of these kits have been imported over form the States and are now available online. Have a look at some of these:



1) Jacquard Dyes are some of the best in town. You can't go wrong with these top quality colourfast Jacquard dyes. I get brilliant results every time with these kits.
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2) The Jacquard Jewel Kit is Amazing for those who are into blue colours.

 

Where I can I buy reasonably priced PROCION MX dyes in UK?

Highly Recommended!!

Procion MX dyes are definitely the best dyes around for simple colourfast dyeing. Whilst these dyes are relatively cheap to buy in the US, they can be quite pricey in UK.
I have been buying my PROCION MX dyes for the past few years on Ebay from Corkwoodknittingandcrafts   (seller ID Woolwing). Their dyes are excellent quality and you will receive them really quickly. Their MX dyes are suitable for any natural fibre including silk, wool, cotton or linen.
At 25gms for £2.95, they are competitively priced. You can also stock up on soda ash and synthrapol and other dyeing essentials at the same store.


http://stores.ebay.co.uk/corkwoodknittingandcrafts