Microwaving dyed cotton Items

[Hippy Dippy]

My daughter is having a 7th birthday party in a few weeks, and I plan on dying some shirts for the attendees.  About 12 or so will attend.

It would be nice if the girls can take the shirts home with them after the party.  I have read a few posting on the boards about microwaving as a method to speed up the dye-fabric reaction time.

Any suggestions? (Other than a dose of vitamin Stoli to deal with a house full of 7 year old girls)

Thanks in advance!

[ktaltre]

You need a dedicated microwave to fast batch your dyed items; don't use your kitchen microwave.
If you have the dedicated microwave, you could certainly use it to "cook" the party's shirts. Are you going to wash (at least a couple of times) and dry the shirts for them too? You probably need to be there for the party, not rinsing, washing and drying tiedye.
Perhaps you could let the girls dye their shirts and you could batch and wash the day after and then get the shirts to the girls.
If you are going to microwave tiedye, wrap the shirts in newspaper and put in a plastic bag - the package (s) need to get hot and steamy. It will depend on your microwave how much or little time that will take. I usually will turn the package over after 2 or 3 minutes and when they're done, I let them cool down before dealing with them.
k. taltre

[deb]

Shh, don't tell anyone, but I use the kitchen microwave to nuke my shirts! I wrap in plastic wrap (keeps the colors where they belong better than plain old Ziploc) and nuke each shirt 30-60 seconds depending on size (7YO shirt probably 45-60 seconds in my microwave), turn over, and repeat, using a shorter time if they're already pretty hot, then set them out in the sun to "bake" till I'm done with the rest in that batch.

If you're using pastel colors, it won't be as obvious if the color comes out a bit pale from a shorter batching time. (Trick I learned - I also have a 7YO and a 4YO, both of whom inherited their mom's patience! LOL) Oh, and limiting color choices means fewer bottles to spill AND to clean out later, not to mention limits color combos that re more likely to result in browns and grays for people who "didn't know THAT would happen!" Kids aren't known for planning out their tie-dye projects if they haven't done it before.

I also discovered that as long as I've got hot water and synthrapol enough, I can get away without rinsing shirts first in a pinch. (This will save my water bill SOOOO much money!) An extra wash cycle right after the first one (before rinsing) seems to do the trick, and I also do an extra rinse anyway to make sure loose dye and leftover synthrapol are out as much as possible.

If the girls are bringing their own shirts, best to let them know to launder them first to get any sizing or finishes off the fabric.

[fiberartist219]

I got my dyeing microwave at Goodwill for $9. I'm sure you can find an old microwave on Craigslist or something if you're not looking to spend money on it. It's definitely worth it to have one that's not involved with your food. I'm not saying it's going to kill you, but it's at your own risk, and there are going to be kids involved in this event.

The key to successful microwave dyeing is to not burn your items. I have never had a problem with it, but I have heard that others have. You need to make sure the fabric stays wet. I keep mine in plastic grocery bags. You also need to watch to make sure the plastic isn't puffing up with steam. If it puffs up too much, it could explode. You will also need to turn your items halfway through, because as we all know, microwaves don't heat evenly.

One of the biggest reasons I don't use kitchen stuff for dyeing is that it is so hard to make sure you have everything clean. Since I keep my fabric soaking wet, there is almost always a colorful puddle in the bottom of my microwave.

A minute or two should do for most shirts.

Also, as usual, nothing metallic goes in there, so watch for buttons, zippers, etc. If you're doing t-shirts, it's not a concern, but I tend to get carried away when I start dyeing.

[Hippy Dippy]

Sounds like nuking the shirts sounds is more trouble than just waiting 18-24 hours for the dye to fully react.

So no thrift store microwave for me.

However, I may pick up a blender to mix dye solutions...

[fiberartist219]

It's really not that much trouble. You just have to watch it, just like you would food.

Of course, not everyone wants to get another microwave. My household has 3. 

[deb]

Blender?!?!? That never occurred to me, actually.

For bigger batches of dye, I started saving the half-gallon juice jars Ocean Spray cran juices come in. (Hubby drinks the stuff. ) Add powder to some warm/hot water, cap it, shake and swirl , and add more water and powder as needed. Do it the day before and you're golden.

I'm a big fan of using less power and spending less money and taking up less space whenever possible; I have an itty-bitty laundry room where I do my dyeing, o that's how it has to be. (Plus I HATE cleaning blenders!   :|LOL)

[Kathy]

Hippy Dippy...
When I do tie-dye at my DD's school(60 kids +/-) I send the bagged up dyed shirts home with directions on how long to let them cure and how to wash them. Inevitably a few days later most of the kids are wearing their new creations.

Deb...I have 2 blenders for mixing dye and thickener. They make life so much easier!

[mustdye]

The blender rocks !!

I then pour it through a metal coffee filter to remove any undissolved particles.

[BBRguy]

I have done a birthday party for my girls and had the party attendees dye the shirts when they first get there.  Then on cookie trays in oven at 325 for about 12 minutes.  watch/smell as you want the shirts to stay wet.  When they dry, they fry.

[brixter]

I found an old hand blender in our junk drawer that I use for dye mixing. You remember them.....the commercials claimed you could make peanut butter in a plastic bag. It mixes dye like a champ and there's not much to do but give it a good rinsing between colors!