im new here!

[colorfulsteve]

hey guys ive been tie dying for about a year now but recently ive been running into a problem. when i first started tie dying none of my shirts faded and now they all fade. i dont know why. ive been reading around and the only thing ive come across that could possibly be what im doing wrong is not soaking it in warm soda ash water.

[tiedyejudy]

Hi, R.....  Welcome!  It isn't actually necessary for the soda ash to be warm when you pre-soak the shirts, but it really helps when you dissolve the soda ash powder in hot water.  I usually keep a batch of soda ash solution on hand for my pre-soaks, and re-use until it is gone.  Question:  are you wrapping your shirts in plastic and batching for at least 8 hours after dyeing?  Is your batching area at least 67 degrees during the batch time?  How strong do you mix your dyes?  Are you washing out in hot water and synthrapol after you rinse the shirts?  Lots of variables can have an impact on the outcome, including the age of your mixed dye solution... I usually use up my dyes within several days of mixing, or else I mix a new batch.  Hope these questions help to resolve the issue for you!

[colorfulsteve]

i do not wrap them in plastic. but i never have and only recently have my shirts been fading. i use brand new dye. could not wrapping them in plastic be the problem?

[tiedyejudy]

Good point!  Let me be sure I understand.  Do the shirts look faded as soon as you launder them, or after a few washings?  My experience has been that paler colors usually mean dyes have lost their ability to bond to the fiber because they have already bonded to the water they are mixed in, or the room temp was not high enough for them to fully activate.  Or... I have heard that the soda ash solution was not used or was not strong enough to fully activate the dye molecules.  Do you mix the soda ash solution with your dyes or do you pre-soak the shirts before dyeing?  And when you are done dyeing, how do you batch the shirts?  Do you just let them air dry?

[Jaja]

What is the temperature of water you dissolve dye poweder in?

Was the dye powder properly stored? (away from light, heat, dampness...)

Do a simple test - soak plain piece of cotton fabric in soda ash solution and let it dry. Then paint some lines over it with fresh dye solution. (bring some dye powder with help of brush to the drop of water in a small flat dish - this way you minimize chance to spoil the dye before application) Let it batch and try to wash out. Still the same?