Think: flower delivery, but for your closet…

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*By contributor and artist, Michelle Moore. *

Bundle dyeing is the art of extracting color from natural ingredients to create pattern and texture on fabric. Which means simply to apply dyestuff onto pre-treated fabric before rolling or folding that fabric tightly, and steaming it for an hour or two. The outcome? A beautiful arrangement of colors that will vary greatly based on the ingredients you choose.

I love that the result is always different, always unique, and always a bit magical.

You can try this process with anything - from leftover floral arrangements, kitchen waste, garden flowers, or foraged items. And as such, that variety of ingredients will mean that some colors may have a strong fastness and others a light one, or none at all (fastness is simply the longevity of the color after exposure to light, washing, or wear). This is all experimental and your understanding will grow as you try different botanicals, and dive deeper into your art!

When working with natural dyes it is best to pretreat your fiber in order to create a bond between the fabric and the dyestuff. In this case, we are using cotton, so the best pre-treatment is to place the material in a tannin bath, followed by soaking in a mordant. For this project, we will be using alum.

An easy to find source of tannin is black tea. Tea, depending on its strength or number of bags used, will leave color on your fabric. The longer your shirt sits in its bath, the more of an antiqued or vintage feel your fabric will have. Tea is easy to source, and you probably already have a few bags in your cupboard, so it’s perfect for this project.

Alum can be found in small quantities in the spice aisle at your local grocery store – it’s the perfect amount for dyeing a t-shirt or two.

What You’ll Need:

• 100% cotton T-shirt (fiber content is important — as a rule, natural dyes do best with natural fibers. Here we’re using FreeCycled tees)
• 1.5 to 2 tbsp alum (can be found in your local grocery store in a little jar, or you can purchase online)
• 3 black tea bags
• Botanicals (onion skin, dried plant matter, flowers, avocado skins — anything you would like to try)
• Steamer or steamer basket
• Rubber bands or string to tie your bundle
• Rubber gloves
• A stainless steel pot

To begin:

*Please note that you should always keep your dye pots and tools separate from the tools you cook with. Natural does not always mean non-toxic.

First, wash your shirt. Even brand new material should be washed in a pH-neutral detergent before you begin. This will remove any unwanted material from the fiber, such as dirt, waxes, or chemicals that will prevent the dye from moving into the fiber. I like to use the “sanitize” option on my washer for the hottest water setting.

Next, Steep your tea bags in a pot with enough hot water to cover your shirt. Then, take the already wet shirt from the washing machine and place it in the tea bath. For example, I am using 3 tea bags for one cotton shirt. Allow the t-shirt to sit overnight, or for at a minimum of 3-4 hours. Remove the shirt and rinse in cool water.

Next, dissolve your alum in hot water. I am using approx. 1.5 tablespoons for this project, or 15% of the weight of fiber (WOF). Then, fill a pot with enough hot water to cover the t-shirt and still allow it to move freely in the water. Allow the heat to come to almost a boil and keep it there for an hour. Turn off the heat and allow the shirt to sit in the hot water overnight or for a minimum of 3-4 hours.

Remove from water and rinse in cool water. You can then allow the shirt to dry completely or use in its damp state.

Next, lay the tee out flat and sprinkle your botanical material. (Yippee, the FUN part!) Be sure to sprinkle evenly across your shirt, making sure to include the edges.

Next, roll the fabric starting at the bottom of the shirt. Roll tightly until you have a long snake.

You can then spiral in the fabric to create a donut shape. Tie the bundle tightly with string/or rubber bands.

Place the donut in a steamer and allow to steam for 1.5 hours. When it’s finished steaming, allow to cool for at least an hour before opening it up.

Unwrap outside where you can shake off the botanical matter and return it to the earth.

Rinse your shirt thoroughly until the water runs clear using cool water. Allow the shirt to dry out of the sunlight.
You should not wash it for 1-2 weeks to give the color an even better chance of bonding with the fiber, though by all means — WEAR IT!

SUCCESS! You have just created a botanically dyed, one-of-a-kind garment of your own. Now that your shirt is treated, you can dye it as much as you would like. So if the colors shift, or you want to refresh it, just simply add more botanicals and steam.

Voila!

If you are interested in workshops on creating more botanically dyed garments, Hapa Zome (flower pounding technique), or beginner natural dyeing, please check out my website for upcoming events.

Happy Spring!
Photos by Alex Healy Studios.