Name: Jessica
Message: Hi I'm in the 5th grade and have to do a science project..I picked doing it on what materials dye the best can you help me with that...I was just typing in tye dye and saw your link it is cool..I don't really no how i came up with it and i really don't know how to do the project where to start..lol  Can you help?

Comparing how dyes work on different materials is a good idea. It makes a big difference what kind of fabric you try to dye. For example, tie-dyeing a shirt that is 100% cotton will produce much brighter results than trying to dye a shirt that is 50% cotton and 50% polyester.

You are going to have to choose what kind of dye to use. A good dye for children to use is food coloring. You can buy unsweetened Kool-aid at the store and use it for dyeing. This dye will not work on cotton, and it will not work on synthetics such as acrylic yarn, but it will work well on wool. Go to the store and buy some wool yarn and some acrylic yarn, or else some wool fabric and some cotton fabric. You can buy as little as 1/4 yard of each type of fabric, or one ball of each type of yarn. You can use just a small piece of fabric, or a handful of yarn, in each test you do. Here is a good basic procedure to follow:

1. Get several microwave-safe bowls and in each one place the same amount of water. 
2. Into this water mix one packet of the same color of Kool-aid (or another brand of artificially colored unsweetened drink mix). 
3. Place a different type of yarn or small piece of fabric into each bowl, then have an adult help you with microwaving each bowl until the water just starts to boil. 
4. Have the adult move each bowl to a heatproof surface (such as the top of the stove or several potholders). 
5. Leave the bowls alone while they cool to room temperature, then rinse the dye out of each fabric or yarn sample. To thoroughly wash the fabric or yarn, you can use a net bag, such as is used for washing lingerie, and run them through the washing machine, or you can just wash thoroughly by hand at the sink. Use either dishwashing detergent or shampoo as the soap for washing out the excess dye.
6. You should be able to see from your results that some fibers dye much brighter than others with the same dye.

You can find some information to help explain your results on these pages on my web site:
How can I tie dye with Kool-aid?
What kinds of chemical bonds attach dyes to fibers?
Using Food Coloring as a Textile Dye for Protein Fibers
About Acid Dyes
Dyeing Protein Fibers
Note that food coloring is a type of acid dye, and wool is made of protein. If you have any questions after you do your experiments, please write me again.

You should also check your local public library to see whether you can find any good books on dyeing, for your bibliography. I especially recommend Linda Knutson's book, Synthetic Dyes for Natural Fibers, but your library might not have a copy of it. Unfortunately I have never seen a good book explaining dyeing for children. When my own children have done science fair projects with dyes, I have always had to help them find the information they wanted in books, and had to help them understand it.

If you decide later to learn to tie-dye cotton shirts, do not use food coloring or all-purpose dye. For dyeing cotton, you will be much happier with a tie-dye kit that contains Procion type dyes, such as the Jacquard brand tie-dye kit.

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