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Procion MX Dye

ideal for cotton, rayon, linen, and silk

When mixed with soda ash, Procion dyes are permanent, colorfast, and very washable. You can easily create a palette of brilliant colors ranging from light pastels to deep, vibrant hues.

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Jacquard Tie Dye Kit

Dye up to 15 adult-size T-shirts, with vivid, electric colors that are so colorfast they can be washed with the daily laundry.

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Jacquard Sodium Alginate SH

A derivative of seaweed, this is the best thickener for tie-dyeing. Use Sodium Alginate SH for cotton and other cellulose fibers. It may also be used for silk when fine line definition is not required. Use Sodium Alginate F for silk and synthetics when fine line definition is desired.

Region: New York

Message: I am having a problem with the designs not coming out crisp or sharp. I'm thinking the colors may be getting diluted because of the water on the shirts from soaking. I know I'm mixing the dyes correctly.  The colors fading together and its hard to see the distinguish the designs because the colors are going together. I think its because after I soak the t-shirts in the soda ash, I then wring them out but they still very wet. Should I put them in the dryer for a while? Should the shirts just be slightly damp when putting the dye colors on them? Also, if I tie them before soaking them and then the strings and bands start coming out especially if I dry them in the dryer slightly after soaking them. What do you think?

What brand of dyes are you using? It will make a difference in my answer.

I am using Pro MX reactive dyes from Pro Chemical & Dye company. Do you also think the cold weather has to do with it?

Yes, it might. There are several factors, any of which may be what you're looking for:

1. Temperature

Cold weather does make a big difference. If the temperature is a little low, it takes  longer for the dye to react with the fabric, and if it's too low, your colors will be paler than expected, even if you allow plenty of time (preferably overnight). A longer and slower dye reaction time gives your dyes more of a chance to spread on the fabric. The practical minimum temperature is about 70°F. A particular sign of low temperatures is that any colors that contain turquoise will come out pale.

What you can do, if your dyeing studio (or back yard, if that's where you do your dyeing) is too cold, is to wrap each piece in plastic wrap, to keep darker parts of the design from staining lighter parts, then roll it up, pop it into a gallon-size plastic bag (depending on the size of the piece), and bring the bagged items into a warm place. See "What is the effect of temperature on fiber reactive dyes?", scrolling down to the section on "Ways to increase your reaction temperature".

2. Thickener

If you don't want your dyes to spread and blend on the fabric, you should use a dye thickener, mixed with your Procion MX dyes. This will allow your designs to be crisper and more clearly delineated. You will use trial and error to determine the exact proportion of thickener you like best for your effects. See my page "Sodium alginate, Superclear, and other dye thickeners". 

3. More dye

You might be happier with a higher dye concentration. Mix the dyes just as you have been doing, but use two or three times as much, and see if you like the color intensity better. Sometimes this is the answer, though in your case I'm guessing that a combination of warmer dye reaction temperatures and sodium alginate in your dyes will do the trick.

4. Drying the soda ash

Many tie-dyers do like to allow the soda ash presoak to dry in their fabric. I recommend against drying it in your clothes dryer, though, because it's a pain to clean the soda ash out of the dryer, and you don't want it on your regular laundry. Soda ash is a common laundry additive, found in most laundry powders, but you want to rinse it out before drying and wearing your clothes. 

I think it's best, if you want to work with dry soda ash, to line-dry your soda-ash-soaked t-shirts. It's a good technique for getting intense colors, but you should be aware that the soda ash on the dry fabric can dust up into the air and irritate your skin and respiratory tract. This is why I prefer to tie dry shirts, or shirts dampened only with water, and only then soak them in soda ash. You can allow them to dry with the soda ash in them, even when they're tied up, because the soda ash tends to inhibit mildew.

5. Old dyes or problem with soda ash

Probably neither of these two is your problem, but it's worth thinking about. If your dyes are over two years old, they may be losing their effectiveness; Procion MX dyes are expected to stay good for only a year or two after purchase. That said, I've had many last longer than that. Another possibility, unlikely but it does happen sometimes, is that you might have mistakenly used urea instead of soda ash when you mixed up your soda ash presoak. These two issues are less likely than my other suggestions, in your case, but it's necessary to consider them.

6. Tying

You might consider using a different type of string. I like to use artificial sinew because it makes it easier to get the ties really tight. Tying very tightly is crucial to getting crisp tie-dye designs. Artificial sinew is a waxed polyester string sold in crafts stores for stitching leather-working projects.