Two suggestions for anyone who wants to make their own tie-dye clothing
Making your own tie-dye clothing is a fun and easy craft project. You can take several different approaches to this project but one of the simplest involves applying some marker inks in different colours to a garment and using isopropyl alcohol 100 to break apart these inks so that they spread out and mix with one another. Below are some tips that should ensure that your attempt at this craft project is a success.
Get a bottle of isopropyl alcohol 100 per cent and experiment with different dilutions
Although isopropyl alcohol is available in a wide range of strengths, you should buy a full-strength version of this solvent (i.e. pure isopropyl alcohol). The main reason for this is that the strength (along with the quantity) of this alcohol that you apply to the ink-adorned fabric will affect the type of tie-dye effect you achieve. Using a very strong solution of the solvent will cause the ink to break apart and fan out far more noticeably than a weaker solution would. By getting a full-strength version, you can make up different dilutions yourself and decide which of these produces the tie-dye effect you personally prefer.
If you're going to go down this route, you should ensure you have extra bottles on hand, in which to keep the different dilutions. Additionally, you should ensure that each of these bottles is labelled with its dilution percentage (so that you do not lose track of which one created the tie-dye effect you liked most) and with the name of the alcohol (to ensure that no-one else in your home mistakes it for water or another drinkable fluid).
Tear up an old towel or sheet and use it for some tie-dye test-runs
If you have a plain t-shirt that fits you very nicely and which you love wearing, then this might be the perfect item to tie-dye using this method. However, before you use your craft supplies on this garment, you should do a few test-runs on some fabric that you do not mind damaging, like an old towel or bed sheet. Trying out your different dilutions on these fabrics will ensure that you find the perfect method to achieve the specific tie-dye look you want before you move on to doing this project on a garment that you actually like.
When choosing which old towels or sheets to use, you should try to find ones that are the same colour and material as the t-shirt you plan to use, as if they are not similar to the final garment in either of these respects, the ink and solvent mixture may look different on them than it will on your t-shirt.
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