How To: Dipped

I have been on a huge DIY kick lately.  The first thing I knew I wanted to do was a simple dip-dyed T-shirt. If you have any interest in livening up some of your wardrobe there could not be a less expensive or easier way to do so. RIT dye costs on average a whopping $2.50 and can be used on any light or white clothing items. Faced with the tremendous color selection I went with an ever-so-trendy (and quickly becoming tiresome) Sunshine Orange. I figured this would be a nice way to start some simple DIY posts that you guys could try yourself.

I also popped to Wal-Mart for a 3 pack of white men's undershirts. I wanted to go the oversized route so the men's section was a perfect choice for me. You can choose a more fitted option or if there are items in your wardrobe already you wanted to spruce up then there is no need to buy anything new.

Step 1: Measure out and mark off spaces at about 1-2 inches apart along the side seams of the shirt. (or shorts or jacket or whatever it is you're dyeing)

I chose 1" sections because I wanted the gradient to be subtle and not to look like stripes of color. In retrospect I think you can achieve this with larger sections. I would go with 2" sections next time.

Step 2: Soak the shirt in plain warm water. If the fabric is wet prior to meeting the dye you get a better gradient where the dyed section meets the un-dyed section.

Step 3: Add salt and dye to VERY HOT water. I used the hottest water I could get from the tap and a kettle full of boiling water. (because I was using a plastic bucket I didn't want to use all kettle water because I was afraid the plastic would melt)

Read the directions carefully; it will tell you how much salt you should add to your dye solution. For synthetic fabrics (anything not cotton or wool) it will usually suggest you add white vinegar.

Step 4: Submerge your item into the dye solution all the way up to the top mark you placed when you measured them out in step 1.  I chose to pull the top part out of the dye immediately to create a really soft, light shade of orange at the very top of the dip dye. From there I moved the shirt out of the solution 1" at a time after soaking each section for 2-5 minutes. Repeat this step until you reach the hem of the shirt.

I even poured a bit of kettle water down over the top of the dip dye to make sure the fade was smooth. I think it helped a bit but it seems to me you could skip the step if you wanted to.

Step 5: Remove the shirt from the solution and rinse out the excess dye until the water runs clear.

This part is going to require a little patience as it does take a while for the water to run completely clear. You also want to be careful not to hit the undyed portion of the shirt with the dyed part because the color WILL TRANSFER.

Step 5: Hang your newly dyed shirt to dry completely.

I will say that I think that I should have let the bottom soak in the solution a bit longer as I don't think the hem came out quite dark enough. I do have plans to try out another dip dye soon so once I figure it out I'll be sure to give you a peek of how it turns out. I also didn't stop the DIY here. I went back and cut the sleeves off this to give it more of a muscle tee look. I love it with a cami or a bandeau underneath for summer. I also have a post coming up to show you how I wound up styling the finished piece.

Have you guys tried and clothing DIY's lately?

xoxo

Molly