D.I.Y THURSDAY| Do it like Gwen Stefani – Tie Dye! (...without the horrid chemicals of course)

There's no two ways about it - Tie dye is in! So we're going to show you how to recreate these designs without all the harsh chemicals and dyes!

What you might not know is that you can create your own tie dyed garments in the comfort of your own home, using things around the house! Things such as tea leaves, peaches and raspberries, can create the same effect as what you would find in the shops. What better way to both control the colour you want on your creation, whilst saving you a little money too!?

Things you will need:

A plain piece of clothing (from T- shirts to leggings - preferably eco-friendly - why not give an old garment a new life, rather than it throwing away?)
A large old pot
Salt Fixative (For berry/ fruit dyes) – Half a cup of salt mixed with eight cups of water
Plant Fixative (For plant dyes) - One part vinegar to four parts water
The berries or plants that you wish to use
String (natural materials – nothing plastic, as it might melt)

Instructions:

1 - Add fabric to the fixative and simmer for an hour. Rinse the material and squeeze out excess. Rinse in cool water until water runs clear.

2 – Tie the string where you want it to not stain

3 - Place wet fabric in dye bath. Simmer together until desired colour is obtained. N.b. The colour of the fabric will be lighter when it’s dry. Also note that all dyed garments should be washed in cold water and separate from other clothing (or it may run).

REMEMBER! Always wear gloves when dying material, because it can stain your skin!

N.B - Muslin, silk, cotton and wool work best for natural dyes and the lighter the fabric in colour, the better; and white or pastel colours also work the best.

To make different colours try using the following ingredients:

Orange – Onion Skin

Brown – Tea Bags (You can recycle the ones you used in your morning cuppa!)

Pink – Strawberries

Purple – Red Cabbage

Red – Elderberry

Grey / Black – Rust Nails (and Vinegar and set with Alum.)

Green – Spinach

Yellow – Bay Leaves

This is just a small list – experiment using anything you find in the house – that is edible/ usable.

Show us how fantastic your designs turn out by emailing them to us at: info(@)offsetwarehouse.com!