Dye Kit Instructions

The dye kit comes with a white hoodie, pre-measured portions of aluminum acetate, calcium carbonate and soda ash, a drawstring dying bag and either purple or orange onion skins. You will also need a large wooden spoon, a large stainless steel pot and a cooking thermometer. These instructions are adapted from the instructions on The Botanical Colors website, which is the supplier of our natural dye supplies. 

Machine Wash

Begin by washing your white hoodie preferably with a natural detergent, and if you can, include it in a load with other white laundry. 

Scour 

To ensure that the dye will adhere, it is important to get the fibers of the hoodie as clean as possible. In addition to washing the hoodie, it is also important to scour the fabric with soda ash before dying it. Add a little cold water to the soda ash to wet it out and then add boiling water to dissolve it in the jar the soda ash came in. Fill your pot with enough room temperature water that your hoodie will be able to move around. Place on a stove. Add the soda ash mixture to the pot. Add your hoodie which should still be wet from the washing machine. Slowly bring the temperature to 180 degrees fahrenheit while occasionally rotating the hoodie with your wooden spoon. Once the water reaches 180 degrees, hold it at this temperature for thirty minutes. After 30 minutes, carefully take out the hoodie and rinse with cold water. After you rinse it, ring out excess water. 

Mordant 

Mordanting allows the dye to create a lasting, rich hue. It’s a two step process. First, empty your soda ash water out. Fill the pot with hot tap water (aproximately 110°- 1120°). Wearing a mask is advisable for this step as the aluminum acetate can be irritating. You don’t need to maintain this temperature, so no heat source is necessary for this step. Add a little cold water to the jar with aluminum acetate to wet it out, and then add boiling water to dissolve it. Add this mixture to the pot. Stir or use a whisk to break up clumps. Add the hoodie. Press out any air bubbles. Keep the hoodie in the pot for 45 minutes, stirring occasionally. After 45 minutes, take out the hoodie and squeeze out the extra water. Empty the pot. Add new water to the pot and bring to a boil. Once it has reached a boil, turn off the stove and add the calcium carbonate to the pot. Stir to dissolve. Add the hoodie and  leave it in the pot for 15-30 minutes. Remove and rinse lightly. You will need to briefly store your hoodie somewhere clean such as in a sink, bathtub, or bucket whilst you prepare the dye bath. It may increase the depth of shade to place the hoodie in a plastic bag and refrigerate  overnight prior to dying. 

Dye

Note: the more dye material, the darker the color will be. The kit includes enough dye material to get the shades displayed on our website, but if you want to get darker shades, you can collect more of these food scraps. Fill the pot with new water and place on low heat. Add just the drawstring bag with the dye materials to the pot, and simmer for an hour, or until the desired color is reached. It is inadvisable to put the dye on a strong heat, because if overheated, the dye will turn brown. You can also leave the dye bag in the water overnight without any heat to create a dark dye. Once you are satisfied with the color of the dye, and the dye bath is room temperature, take out the dye bag. Add the wet or damp hoodie. Begin to heat the pot until the dye bath reaches 90 degrees fahrenheit. Stir the hoodie occasionally to make sure all parts are exposed to the dye. Hold at 90 degrees fahrenheit for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes, bring the temperature to 180 degrees fahrenheit. Maintain this temperature for 30-45 minutes, stirring regularly. 

Wash

Rinse the hoodie with warm water to remove excess dye. Wash with a natural liquid soap and dry away from direct sunlight.