SUPPLIES & TOOLS:
- Cotton Onesie
- Rit® All-Purpose Liquid Dye, Pearl Grey
- Rit® Indigo Shibori Tie-Dye Kit
- Rit® ColorStay Dye Fixative
- Container for Dyeing
- Measuring Cup
- Salt
- Liquid Dish Detergent
- Plastic Table Cover
- Optional: PVC Pipe (if Doing Arashi Technique)
DIRECTIONS:
- Prepare Workspace & Materials:
- Cover work area with plastic table cover and have paper towels handy to protect against any possible spills.
- Gather supplies.
- Before dyeing, remove any visible stains on the onesies. This will help achieve uniform color results when dyeing. Prewash them in warm, soapy water. This helps to remove any finishes that may interfere with dye absorption.
- Wet fabric.
- We used three different methods for dyeing the onesies:
- Itajime Pattern:
- Accordion fold or "fan fold" the fabric in 4 1/2" wide folds down the length of the fabric. This will form a long rectangle.
- Accordion fold or "fan fold" the long rectangle into a 4 1/2" fabric square.
- Sandwich the fabric square between the 4" plastic squares included in the kit.
- Secure "sandwich" with rubber bands to tightly hold the fabric square together.
- Arashi (Pole Wrapping) Technique:
- Accordion fold or "fan fold" the length of the fabric in 3" to 4" wide folds. This will form a long rectangle.
- After the fabric is folded into a long rectangle, secure one end of the fabric rectangle to a PVC pipe or pole with a rubber band.
- Then, wrap the fabric rectangle tightly around the pipe or pole without overlapping it.
- Secure the other end with a rubber band.
- Scrunch all the fabric very tightly back up to the top of the pipe or pole.
- Kanoko Style:
- Pinch the center portion of the fabric and hold it in the air, letting the 4 corners drop.
- About 1/2" from the pinched center, wrap fabric tightly with a rubber band.
- Continue by wrapping the twine included in the kit in a crisscross pattern down the length of the fabric. Pattern will vary based on the spacing and wrapping of the twine.
- Dyeing:
- Fill a plastic container with two gallons of hot water. The water should ideally be 140F. If tap water is not hot enough, heat water on the stove and add to the dyebath.
- To enhance the color: add one cup of salt when dyeing fabrics containing cotton, rayon, ramie or linen.
- Add 1 teaspoon of dish detergent to help promote level dyeing.
- Wearing rubber gloves, add 1/2 cup well-shaken Pearl Grey dye to dyebath.
- Add onesie to dyebath. For a high contrast pattern, keep the onesie in the dyebath for about 3 to 5 minutes. For more color and less white areas, leave the wrapped fabric in the dyebath for 10 to 20 minutes.
- When desired color is achieved, remove wrapped fabric from the dyebath. Do not remove rubber bands, twine or squares.
- We strongly recommend using Rit ColorStay Dye Fixative immediately after dyeing and before washing. It enhances the color, increases color retention and prevents dye from bleeding into white areas. Follow instructions on the bottle.
- Rinse in cool water until rinse water begins to run clear.
- Carefully remove plastic squares, twine and rubber bands. Unfold the fabric.
- Wash in warm water with a mild detergent, rinse and dry.