How much dye powder and soda ash should I use?The soda ash pre-soaking solution should be mixed at a strength of 1 cup to 4 litres of warm water and you should pre-soak your fabric for at least 15 minutes before dyeing. After the pre-soak you can hand wring the fabric thoroughly or use the spin cycle (no rinse) on your washing machine.
Procion fibre reactive dyes are suitable for natural, cellulose fibres like cotton and will not work with synthetics like polyester. The dyes need about half a teaspoon of dye powder to 200ml of water. This ratio can be adjusted depending on the strength and vibrancy of colour that you’re after (MUCH less powder for pastels, more powder for deeper colours). Blacks require about 3x this amount. Once the powdered dyes are mixed with water, the colours will start to lose their vibrancy and it's recommended that you use them up within 48 hours of mixing. Keeping them cold will help prolong their life, although please store them away from food. Are your dyes safe for babies and children?The short answer is yes, they are child-safe, providing appropriate precautions and supervision is used.
Procion dyes come in a fine powdered form, which like any powder, can cause respiratory issues if inhaled. The dye powders should only ever be handled by a responsible adult. We recommend using a face mask or respirator and gloves when handling the powdered dyes. Anyone with pre-existing respiratory issues (such as asthma or emphysema) should NOT work with the dyes in their powdered form at all. Once they are dissolved in water, they are harmless unless consumed, which is why we always recommend mixing and storing your dyes well out of the reach of babies and children. The liquid dyes are safe for children to use, so long as they are under close supervision to ensure that no swallowing of the dyes takes place. They will stain the skin for a couple of days but they are not harmful if they come into contact with skin. When the correct dyeing and washout process is followed, procion fibre reactive dyes form a permanent bond with the fibres in the fabric, meaning that they won't run in the wash or leach into children's mouths if they chew or suck on the dyed fabric. Some other types of dyes act more like a paint, in that they sit atop the fibres, never actually forming a permanent bond with them, making them a much less baby-safe option. Can you come to our school/kinder/youth group/event to run a tie dye workshop?Yes, we would love to!
Send us a message here with the details of your event (date/time, number of children, age of children, etc), and we will be in touch soon! How much is postage?Within Australia:
Free standard postage on orders over $99. Flat rate postage of $10.95 for standard or $15.95 for Express Post, Australia wide. International: Please contact us to calculate postage rates before placing your order. All orders are sent via Australia Post. Delivery times depend on your location. Sunny Daisy Tie Dye posts from Moorabbin, VIC 3189. Please use the Australia Post calculator here for an estimate of how long your parcel will take to arrive. |
I tried using your dyes but the colours aren't as vibrant as yours. Why not?There are a few different variables that can affect the vibrancy of the colours, such as:
I suggest that you work through each of these steps and figure out where your problem is coming from and hopefully you'll improve your results! I bought some dye powder from you but I don't think you sent me the right colour or the right amount of dye!Just as you shouldn't judge a book by its cover, you can't judge a dye powder by its colour! Some of our dye powders don't look a lot like the colour that they mix up into, so don't worry if the jar of powder you received doesn't look like the right colour. Dark Black is a particularly good example of this, as the dye powder is a deep, earthy reddish tone, but it will mix up into a deep black tone when dissolved in water. Be sure to use at least 2-3 times more than other colours for the blackest black!
Our dye powders are sold by weight and the density of the powders varies from colour to colour, so some are much heavier than others. For example, Plum Blossom and Robin's Egg Blue are 2 of the densest colours in our range, which is why it might look like there's less of the powder in the jar or bag than other colours of the same weight. We use accurate digital scales to pack all our dye orders and if you pop them on some scales, you will find that all the jars or bags of the same weight, do actually weigh the same, despite appearances! Of course, human error is still a possibility (our orders are all packed by humans!) so if you weigh your dyes and find that they weigh less than they should, please contact us so we can fix it for you! Are your dyes environmentally low-impact?The only dyes that we sell and use for all of our own dye work and workshops and parties are Procion fibre reactive dyes. When these professional grade textile dyes are used correctly and in conjunction with soda ash as a fixative, they form a permanent bond with the molecules in the fabrics and yield rich, vibrant tones that won’t run or fade in the wash.
Here at Sunny Daisy Tie Dye, sustainability and a low environmental impact are passions for us. Our extensive research has found that Procion fibre reactive dyes are non-toxic and low-impact. Babies can suck and chew on clothing that has been properly dyed using Procion dyes and people who are chemically sensitive to dyes and fabric treatments on clothing have reported no issues with these dyes. Additionally, Procion dyes are harmless to septic systems, and when spilled on the ground they lose their colour on the dirt within a few days, as they are broken down by soil microbes. |
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