How to dye clothes yourself

Dyeing your clothes can be a great way to give some of your old clothes new life. However, there are a number of things that it is important to be aware of before you embark on the clothes dyeing process.

There are several different ways to dye your clothes. You should therefore consider what result you want to achieve before choosing what type of dye to use.

Below, you will find a guide on how to dye your clothes with batik, textile dye, markers and paint.

All you need is batik dye

Batik dye is an easy way to create some unique clothing. It is actually so easy that you can get your children involved in the process, as they would surely enjoy twisting, turning and folding the clothes to create beautiful new patterns on them.

All you need for batik dying is:

• Batik dye
• Rubber bands
• Rubber gloves and apron.
• A clean piece of clothing of a light unicolour.
• Two large buckets – one with water and one with dye

Textile colour / Batik colour dye

Up to 33%

Here's how you do it:

1. Batik dyeing can be a bit messy - especially if you do this project with your children. Therefore, put on an apron and rubber gloves, and feel free to cover the floor with newspaper, so that you do not risk spilling any colours on your floor by accident.

2. Now create the pattern on the clothes by dividing it into different sections with the rubber bands. The area where the rubber bands are tightening around the fabric will not be dyed, and it is thus the rubber bands that help create the pattern on the clothes.

3. Now prepare the clothes for the dyeing as described on the packaging of the type of batik dye that you are using. You can possibly add a dcl of salt to the mixture to improve the dyeing process.

4. Now fill one of the two buckets with water and put the clothes in the water. Then twist the fabric to remove excess water.

5. Now, you dye the clothes. Put the clothes in the bucket with the colour dye mixture in. Leave it in this mixture for 10-30 minutes - the longer you leave the fabric in the dye mixture, the darker the colour will be.

6. Remove the clothes from the mixture and rinse it with alternating hot and cold water until the water is clear again. Then let the clothes air dry.