This article was written by The Zillennial Zine’s spring editorial intern Gahnique Bell. Find her on Instagram at @s14rbur81_g4l4xy. If you would like to share an article with The Zillennial, send us an email at thezillennialzine@gmail.com.

Summer is just around the corner! Bring out sunny weather, open the water parks, and get ready for the many trips to the ice cream parlor! I myself am not a fan of cold weather, so I was happy to feel Spring and a hint of Summer coming back. With it warming up, a ton of activities would be perfect for the celebration of Spring and Summer coming in. One of those activities is tie-dying!

I remember I used to be obsessed with tye-dying around two years ago. I watched a bunch of “how to tie dye a hoodie” videos on youtube of people customizing their clothes and outfits and adding it to their wardrobe. I even thought about building a business around it.  It seemed like such a fun thing to do that I decided to give it a whirl. I had even got my family into it and we made matching outfits. 

Tie Dying can be a fun and rewarding hobby to have if you have a knack on being crafty.There’s so much you can make with it! If youre intrested in learning how to tie dye your own hoodie or item, look no further than the guide below!

#1 Choosing What To Dye

There are so many things that you can dye! You die apparel like hoodies, sweatpants, and shirts. You can dye shoes (like Converse and vans) and even bedding! There are so many options to choose from. The possibilities are endless! Something to keep in mind when you’re picking what items you’re going to dye is the type of material it’s made from. Materials that are 100% natural fibers like cotton, rayon, or silk works best for tie dying because they absorb dye well and are able to produce vibrant colors. Using other types of materials like polyester and nylon won’t work as effectively unless you use dye specifically made for polyester or synthetic materials and take special steps for the dye to set into the material

#2 Liquid vs Powder Dye

Now that you have chosen your item. It’s time to choose your dye! There are a couple of different brands and types of dye that you can choose from which could ultimately affect the results of how your items looks. 

If you are a beginner tie dyer consider trying Rit Dye. It is a liquid dye that is pre-mixed with water, which requires them to be less mixed, which makes them easier to use. They have super easily friendly instructions. There are a bunch of colors to choose from, which can be a bit overwhelming when trying to choose a color. If your skills in tie dying are more intermediate and professional, then powder dye is the way to go. Unlike liquid dye, the colors with powder dye are less likely to be affected by direct sunlight. With powdered dye like Dharma, the colors are more vibrant and less likely to fade fast over time. It is also cheaper than liquid dye as well, and you’re able to control the concentration of the powder as well. It’s less likely to stain countertops, skin, and clothing. One of the only downsides to power dye is the limited colors to choose from. Natural dye is also a thing that is easy to use as well. It only requires you to measure out the powder and made from natural resources like plants and fruit. However, this is the most expensive type of dye and the one in the shortest amount of supply. 

#3 Method and Technique

There are different methods and patterns you can achieve with tie dying. 

The tops three methods are: 

The Bucket method, the stovetop method, and the washing machine method. All of theses have their own steps and materials to help achieve the perfect tie dye look. Since the bucket method is the most common one used, I will give the instructions for that particular method below. 

Once you chose your method you can choose between dying the garment in one solid color or adding a fun pattern to it. Some types of patterns and techniques you can do are: 

• Shibori: A Japanese dyeing technique that involves folding, twisting, or bunching clothing together and then dying it into traditionally indigo, but you can use any color available.
• Ombré: A beautiful pattern that requires colors to fade into each other
• Ice bath: This is my personal favorite way to tie dye. I just feel like the colors come out so much more vibrant this way. This is a technique that requires sprinklling the dye over ice and letting the ice melt and setting the dye.
• Marble: Swirl the color around in some shaving cream and you got yourself a marvelous marble look!
• Reverse: This is also one of my favorite ways to tie-dye. This is best used with a black shirt and bleach sprinkled over it. Once the bleach is set you can dye it as normal and create a cool pattern of black with splotches of color throughout the shirt!
• Color block: This is a method you can use if you want to have more than one color. I never tried this method, but it looks really fun! It’s probably the most tricky technique to do since you have to block off parts of the garment you’re using to dye one side one color and the other side another.

How to Tie Dye (Bucket Method)

Now, onto the actual ying process! These instructions involve the liquid dye since that is what most beginners use when they are starting. The entire process takes around two hours or less, but once you see what you created, it will be all worth it!

Materials Needed:

-A hoodie (or any material you wish to dye)

-liquid dye (like Rit All-Purpose dye)

-measuring cup

-large spoon

-plastic bucket/container or a stainless steel sink

-paper towels 

-rubber gloves

-salt 

-dish washing detergent

Steps

1. Fill the plastic bucket with hot water. The water you pour into the bucket should be brought to a boil (Or at least warm) before you add it to the bucket.
2. The next thing is to add the dye. Put on your rubber gloves to avoid being stained and pour exactly one bottle into the bucket. Mix the dye with the water with a alarge spoon until it turns into a solid color.
3. If you want the color to be extra vibrant add 1 cup of salt (optional) 
4. After mixing the salt in the dye bath, test the dye by using a paper towel
5. Wet the hoodie/material and squeeze out any excess water, then add the garment to the dye bath
6. Once the garment is in the dye bath, you’re gonna stir it slowly for 10 minutes to cover the entire item in dye
7. After 10 minutes have passed, rinse the dyed clothing in cool water until it runs clear
8. Throw the clothing into a washing machine, add a swirl of detergent, and put it through its normal cycle . DO NOT add any fabric softener only the detergent. This will ruin the dyed product. 
9. Put the product in the dryer as normal
10. Enjoy your newly dye item! 

Are you interested in tie-dying? Do you know how to tie dye a hoodie? Let us know in the comments!

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