Pre-Workshop questions:
How long does the activity take?
It takes about an hour to do the entire workshop - from the description of all the different styles of tie-dye, to the tying of the shirts, to the dying of the shirts. Kathy will need a 1/2 hour before and a 1/2hour afterwards to set-up and clean up.
Will there be a big mess?
Nope. Kathy has done this activity in people's carpeted dining rooms - although that wouldn't be the first choice! Accidents CAN happen, but overall, the process is carefully controlled and proven to be practically mess-free.
Where will we do the tie-dying?
Typically, for Girl Scouts, we would meet wherever you usually hold your meetings - someone's home, a church, a school. Also Camps in the Nashville area ie. Camp Sycamore in Ashland City, or Camp Holloway in White House.
Can we tie-dye something other than t-shirts?
Absolutely! You can tie-dye anything that is 100% natural fiber (cotton, wool, silk, rayon). Regular short-sleeved t-shirts are included in the $15.00 price, and other items will normally cost more.
Can I provide my own t-shirts?
The short answer is "not really".
The long answer is:
The t-shirts (or any other items to be tie-dyed) have to be prepared by being soaked in a soda ash solution, which I do at home before the workshop. The soda ash is the "mordant" that allows the chemical reaction to take place and causes the dyes to be vibrant and colorfast.
If you still find it necessary to provide your own t-shirts (maybe you have had something silk-screened on them) they have to be 100% cotton, and you will need to get them to me several days in advance of the workshop so I can prep them. Providing your own shirts doesn't change the price of the workshop - it is still $15.00 per person. If you have provided shirts with a design on them, either silk-screened or ironed-on, I cannot guarantee that the design will not be damaged by the soda ash or the dye itself.
The long answer is:
The t-shirts (or any other items to be tie-dyed) have to be prepared by being soaked in a soda ash solution, which I do at home before the workshop. The soda ash is the "mordant" that allows the chemical reaction to take place and causes the dyes to be vibrant and colorfast.
If you still find it necessary to provide your own t-shirts (maybe you have had something silk-screened on them) they have to be 100% cotton, and you will need to get them to me several days in advance of the workshop so I can prep them. Providing your own shirts doesn't change the price of the workshop - it is still $15.00 per person. If you have provided shirts with a design on them, either silk-screened or ironed-on, I cannot guarantee that the design will not be damaged by the soda ash or the dye itself.
Can I bring my own items to tie-dye?
The short answer is "not really".
The long answer is:
The t-shirts (or any other items to be tie-dyed) have to be prepared by being soaked in a soda ash solution, which I do at home before the workshop. The soda ash is the "mordant" that allows the chemical reaction to take place and causes the dyes to be vibrant and colorfast.
The long answer is:
The t-shirts (or any other items to be tie-dyed) have to be prepared by being soaked in a soda ash solution, which I do at home before the workshop. The soda ash is the "mordant" that allows the chemical reaction to take place and causes the dyes to be vibrant and colorfast.
What shirt sizes are available?
Youth Small (6-8)
Youth Medium (10-12)
Youth Large (14-16)
Adult Small
Adult Medium
Adult Large
Adult X-Large
Adult XX-Large (+1.50)
Adult XXX-Large (+2.00)
Youth Medium (10-12)
Youth Large (14-16)
Adult Small
Adult Medium
Adult Large
Adult X-Large
Adult XX-Large (+1.50)
Adult XXX-Large (+2.00)
How many people can participate?
Minimum: 10 shirts (you can have fewer participants, as long as you do the 10 shirts)
Maximum: none
Please contact me about large groups like Girl Scout Camporees - I have done tie-dye with over 100 people over the course of a weekend in one-hour blocks. There are discounts for groups over 30.
Maximum: none
Please contact me about large groups like Girl Scout Camporees - I have done tie-dye with over 100 people over the course of a weekend in one-hour blocks. There are discounts for groups over 30.
Post-Workshop questions:
I lost my instruction sheet! What do I do?
Please don't panic! You can read them again right here.
How many of these shirts can I wash at the same time?
The best answer to that is ONE shirt at a time, after you have taken them out of the plastic bag and rinsed by hand (follow instructions). If you really feel like you want to wash two or more at once, just keep in mind that you will have to be extremely thorough with the hand-rinsing so that the excess dye from the shirts will be less likely to "back-stain" the white areas of your designs.
Should I wash my tie-dye by itself from now on?
After your tie-dye has been washed a couple times by itself in hot water, it will be colorfast, and perfectly safe to wash with other colors. Please use the same precautions you use with any colored garments!
Can I use bleach when washing my tie-dye?
Not recommended! Again, you should treat your tie-dye like you treat any commercially dyed garment and never use chlorine bleach. Color-safe bleach (like Clorox 2) should be fine.