Ever wanted to dye your own clothes? Well guess what? Not only is it incredibly easy, you can ensure it's low-cost and sustainable by using ingredients you already have at home!
You Will Need...
Fabric of choice: use fabric scraps to make scrunchies, give an old white shirt a makeover, or make an epic bed throw!
Water
~2 tbsp of powdered turmeric (or natural dye of choice)
Rubber bands
A large pot and a stove
pH-neutral soap
Optional: something acidic (lemon, apple cider vinegar) or basic (bi-carb soda)
Step 1: Tie Your Fabric
Scrunch up your fabric - I used an old shirt! - and tie a few rubber bands around it. There doesn't need to be any order to it, just experiment with creating different sections and the tightness of the bands. The beauty of tie-dye is the surprising end result!
Step 2: Boil Your Fabric
To a large pot, add ~2 tbsp of powdered turmeric (or natural dye of choice) and fill up to 3/4 full with water. Bring to the boil.
If you would like a stronger dye, simply add more turmeric! You can also change the hue slightly by adding an acid - like lemon - or a base - like bi-carb soda. Test the effect of these ingredients in a small glass first.
Once boiling, carefully add your fabric to the water. Keep at a slow boil for at least 30 minutes. Other natural dyes might need a few hours for the colour to stain the fabric.
Step 3: Rinse Your Fabric
Carefully remove your fabric from the pot and transfer to a sink or bucket. Don't take the rubber bands off yet! Using cold water and pH-neutral soap, rinse the fabric. Once the colour seems to stop running, remove the rubber bands. Rinse the fabric again and wring dry.
Tip: keep the turmeric water for future dyeing adventures or use in your garden. (Just be careful if you added an acid or a base - some plants thrive in slightly acidic or alkaline soil, other's hate it!)
Step 4: Dry Your Fabric
Patience, my friend. All that's left now is for your fabric to air-dry!
Tip: the sun will bleach the colour a bit, so dry your fabric inside out or in the shade.
Step 5: Show-off Your Handiwork!
And there you have it, your very own naturally tie-dyed item! You'll want to hand wash this in future to preserve the colour, but if it does start to fade, you can always dye it again.
Share your creations with us on instagram @_the_greencloset!
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