How much does it cost to tie-dye 6 shirst?

Question

I want to tie-dye 6 shirts with a friend, but I don't know how much it'll cost me. If I buy 6 white t-shirts and a tie-dye for 6 shirts (colors: turquoise, fuschia, yellow), about how much will it cost? Can you recommend any brand of tie-dye kits that has soda ash in it?

Answer 1

How much it will cost depends on the pricing policies of your local crafts store. Blick Art Materials sells the Jacquard Funky Groovy Tie Dye Kit, which will dye five or six shirts, for $10.80, while they sell the larger Jacquard Tie Dye Kit, which will dye 15 adult large t-shirts, for $13.64, but since they are mail-order you would have to tack on shipping charges. Prices vary according to where you go; some shops sell these exact same kits for as much as $11.95 and $19.95. Joann's fabrics sells the Tulip One Step Tie-Dye KIt and the Rainbow Rock Tie Dye Kit, which will each dye 2 to 8 shirts,  for $9.99 per kit. These are all good kits, as are tie-dye kits made by Dylon, if you find any in your area.

An excellent mail-order source for dyes and a huge range of inexpensive dyeable clothing is Dharma Trading Company. Their Teeny Tiny Tie-Dye Kit costs $13.95 for enough materials to dye 6 t-shirts. They also have excellent prices on many different cotton t-shirts. You do not have to have a credit card to order from Dharma.

None of the tie-dye kits include the t-shirts in the price. Be sure to buy only 100% cotton t-shirts. 50% polyester shirts will be pale in color after dyeing. Watch out for claims of stain-resistance on the package, which is often a problem with underwear-style t-shirts, because stain-resistant shirts do not dye well.

Whatever you do, don't try to tie-dye with Rit dye, unless you are willing to boil the shirts in the dye for half an hour per color. To use Rit dye properly, you will have to ruin a good cooking pot since you can never use it for food again (textile dyes will contaminate food), and end up with dye that fades quickly and bleeds forever in the laundry. You are much better off with a good cool water tie-dye kit. The results last years longer, and you don't have to use hot or boiling water.