Reverse Tie-Dye Your Black Cotton - Classic Tie-Dye Pattern

Today we are going to learn how to reverse tie-dye with a colour remover in a classic tie-dye pattern. We will focus on black as it's our unbeaten bestseller and therefore the most popular technique we use. If you need more information about reverse tie-dye, please visit our introductory blog post, which will explain all the basic info you need to have.

If you are wondering what a classic tie-dye means, have a look at some of the examples below. 

1. Example of a Classic tie-dye pattern on a pair of cotton black pants

 

2. Example of a Classic tie-dye pattern on a black cotton shirt

 

3. Example of a classic tie-dye pattern on a black cotton long-sleeved tee

4. Close up of a classic tie-dye reverse dye pattern on a black cotton sweatshirt

 

For simplicity, this recipe will exclusively look at black reverse tie-dye with colour remover, which generally fades to off-white, cream or a light taupe colour. Remember, we have no power over what colour your garment will fade. Generally, bleach dye fades to orange, while colour remover fades to the colours listed above. Often this can change, due to fabric composition, surface treatments or original dye. 

Now let's get into it!

First of all, grab all your supplies. 

1. Your garment. Any black cotton garment is great. Please be mindful that if it's a blend that includes polyester or other artificial fibres, they will not fade (only the cotton will) so the final colour will change. For example, I once did a 50% cotton poly blend, and it faded to dark grey. I loved it and this is the beauty of dyeing, you might get a bit of a surprise! Please note that this won't work on 100% polyester or artificial fibre garments. There has to be at least 30% cotton or other natural fibre. 
2. A pack of Colour Remover from RIT Dye, tongs, gloves and elastics. You can also grab our reverse dye kit here if you like, which will provide all of these.
3. A pot of boiling water or a plastic bucket filled with it. Please use one that is big enough to move the tied garment.

Put the water to boil, and while waiting, prep your garment. 

Lay your garment flat on a surface. 

Start bunching up small areas of fabric and apply the elastic around them. Play with this and grab some small and some bigger areas as well as turn the garment around and do it from the front and back.

Continue the process till you have covered the whole garment.

Now bunch up the whole tied garment and tie in a ball by adding more elastics, like the video below. This step is important because colour removers and bleach are very powerful chemicals, and they tend to penetrate the fabric fast. The more black you want to maintain, the tighter the ball has to be, while if you want to see more off-white or faded colour, you should tie it looser. 

Once the water is boiling, remove it from the stovetop and place it on a secure surface. If you want to leave it on the stovetop, switch off the gas, and make sure it's not boiling. Wear your gloves. Now dissolve the colour remover and stir with the tongs. Use about 3 tablespoons for a lightweight tee. Increase with your garment weight. So, for instance, use about 4 tablespoons for a long-sleeved shirt or 5 for a sweatshirt. Pour the powder and stir till dissolved. Submerge your garment, making sure it's fully underwater. Push it down with the tongs so the air will bubble and it will sink. 

Now, I generally wait between 6 and 15 minutes for my garments before rinsing and washing, but you can check how it's going and decide for yourself. My suggestion is the more black you want to see, the less time the garment has to stay in the water, the more fading you want to see, the longer the garment has to stay in the water. 

After that, you only need to remove the elastic while rinsing with cold water and wash in the washing machine. The initial cycle will bleed some black, but it won't bleed during the following washes. Always wash in cold water if possible. 

Here is a video of the final step showing the revealing of the reverse dyed garment.

 

Please let me know if you are going to make this recipe, and contact us if you need any help.