Polyester is one of the most widely produced fabric types, and you will find every other piece of apparel having a proportion, and in some applications, it will be the only constituent. Considering the usage in textile, there comes a need to see how to tie-dye polyester because every other article talks about having a cotton fabric for the tie-dye process.
After all, polyester makes the clothing more wrinkle-resistant, durable, and long-lasting. Then why should it be left behind when it comes to using it for tie-dye.
So, if you have a polyester-made shirt or any other piece of garment, these 5 minutes you will spend reading the article will be going to add tremendous value to your life. You will be able to completely change the outlook and add color and patterns with tie-dying polyester fabric.
Tie-dying polyester
Tie-dye is a fun process, and it allows you to be creative with your wardrobe. Having said that, we should not be limiting it to cotton fabric only, though we know that polyester is difficult to dye. But, following the guidelines properly, you can easily achieve the desired results on polyester fabric as well. Now, let’s go over how we can do it right.
Choose the fabric
For sure you don’t want to get a bad experience in the end. To make certain that the fabric gets the dye in a perfect manner, it is important that you select the fabric accordingly. 100% polyester is a synthetic fiber and is not recommended for tie-dye. Don’t choose this option unless it is your last resort.
For better results, you can use polyester blends. If you have the option, the polyester-cotton blend is going to be perfect for this process.
Anyways, the following steps can be applied for 100% polyester-made fabric.
Choose your dye and gather other supplies
When tie-dying polyester, there are dedicated dyes available. Rit Dye, however, you are free to opt as per your liking.
You have got the right fabric and the dye; there are certain other things that you need to complete the task. See the list below of all the required items.
- Rubber bands
- Disposable gloves
- Paper towel
- Scissor
- Hot water and a bucket
Once you have got everything in your access, it’s time to show some skills.
Step 1
For any tie-dye process, the first step includes washing the piece of garment you are going to dye; it is to make sure that the fabric is clean and does not have stains already.
Step 2
Now, based on the pattern design you want to attain, fold, and twist the fabric and tighten it using the rubber band. If you aren’t sure of the design, just do the folding randomly, and at the end, you will see an amazing design created out of it.
Step 3
As you are about to tie-dye polyester, the process from here is going to be a bit different than what you used to do for cotton fabric.
At this phase, you need hot water to prepare the dye. Note that the dyeing process for polyester requires a steady temperature of 180°F.
If the hot water is not available, use a large pot, add around 3 gallons of water or more depending on the size of the fabric, and put it on the stove. Heat the water to the required temperature or to almost boiling. Then add dye to the water to prepare a dye bath.
Be sure to follow the safety protocols as you are dealing with hot water.
Step 4
After you have prepared the dye, soak your garment into it and let it be there for at least an hour. Remember that dye takes time to set in the polyester fabric; the longer you wait, the better it will be. Pull the garment out, and check if it got the color or not. Immerse it another time if you want it to be denser.
Step 5
Take the piece out if you think enough time has been given and you see the color has emerged the way you want. Squeeze the excess dye, carefully cut the rubber band and rinse the garment with flowing water. Continue to rinse until the water gets clear.
Then again, you have to wash down the garment in warm, soapy water before you put it into use. After washing, let the piece dry, and there, you are done with tie-dying the polyester.
Conclusion
Going through the steps, we can see that the tie-dying process for polyester is not that difficult after all. When you know the right steps, you can complete the project without facing any difficulty. The thing is that you have to choose the appropriate dye and then prepare it in hot water. The rest of it is nearly the same as for any other tie-dye process.
So, don’t limit yourself to cotton only and show some arty using the polyester as well. Let us know what you are trying this time and how does it go?