Kool Aid Tie Dye
Kool aide is a great dye. I have used it to die fiber from my sheep before I spun it, I have used it to dye the kids hair, and I have used it to dye fabric. It smells wonderful, you don’t have to worry about the kids getting some on their skin or in their mouths, and you don’t have to worry about VOCs out gassing for centuries. And it is serious fun.
The wool in the image is handspun Jacob’s sheep wool (using just the white) that has been hand dyed with cherry and orange Koolaid. I used a squirt bottle to apply the color in random sections. I knitted Kyrie a winter hat out of this and it was adorable.
So, how do you tie dye with koolaid?
Choose the packets of unsweetened drink mix. The sugar sweetened type will make a huge, sticky, mess. You will want a couple of flavor for best results. Wear the gloves or you will end up looking like a psychedelic alien from Dr. Who.
- T-shirt or fabric
- Unsweetened kool-aid
- Vinegar
- Small plastic bowls, one for each color you want to use
- Plastic gloves
- Rubber bands
1. For each color you that you use put a couple of packages of koolaid in one quart of boiling water and an ounce of vinegar in a plastic bowl. Add more packets for a deeper color.
2. Mix the liquid until the kool-aid is completely mixed in.
3. Pull ad twist sections of the t shirt through rubberbands. Make different sized, random bunches.
4. Dip the ends in the different bowls, without mixing colors. Allow to dry with the rubber bands in place
5. Remove the bands and spread the t shirt out.
5. Set the colors by ironing on a high heat. Use a press cloth.
6. Set aside for 24 hours for the dyes to set.
7. Wash separately the first time. Use cold water and a cold water rinse.
And that is all there is to it. You can do a great home-school study about mordants and dyes and how they are used…or you can just do it and have a great time with your kids.
Image:Marye Audet
Tags: , dying with koolaid, kool aid, Natural dyes, tie dyePOSTED IN: Crafts and Projects, Kids
2 opinions for Kool Aid Tie Dye
She Used Kool-Aid for Tie Dye
Jul 3, 2008 at 10:01 am
[…] Marye will walk you through the steps to make your very own Kool-Aid tie dye shirt. […]
Bethany
Jul 14, 2008 at 10:39 am
I have a 3 and 5 year old. This sounded like fun. I tried it before I knew what I was doing and I just used HOt water and no vinigar, that did not work. I then went on line and found that you have to use viniger. The recipe that I followed was 1 ounce of viniger to 1 package of unsweetend Kool-aid. The shirts looked great when they were dyed. We let them dry outside on the line in the sun. The next night I iorned them with a hot iorn and the next day I washed then speratly in the sink with cold water, only again to see all of the color wash out. Is there something that I have done wrong? Please give me any tips that you think may help.
Thanks,
Bewildered Bethany
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