DIY Tips:
• Protect your clothes and hands by wearing a smock (a plastic garbage bag will do) and thick rubber gloves.
• Most dyes found in Beijing are not typically used for tie-dye, so the colors will run after the first wash.
• Teach your kids about mixing colors: combine red and blue dyes to create purple.
• When dosing the white shirt with color, be sure the dye fills the creases. More is better here; the whites of the shirt should not be visible.
Difficulty level: Medium
Materials
White cotton T-shirt 白色纯棉T恤
Plastic garbage bags 垃圾塑料袋
Rubber bands 橡皮筋
Rubber gloves 橡胶手套
Dye packets (1 packet per 2m of material)
直接袋色: red 红色, blue 蓝色, green 绿色
Squirt bottles 番茄酱瓶子
Salt 盐
Zip-lock plastic bag 塑料自封袋
We found our supplies at:
Quanshunhang 全顺行
Sells dye packets.
Daily 9am-9pm. 8 Wusi Dajie, Dongcheng District (136 1108 1192) 东城区五四大街8号
Dongjiao Market 东郊市场
Sells squirt bottles
Daily 8am-5pm. A12 Xidawang Lu, Chaoyang District 朝阳区西大望路甲12号
Wal-Mart 沃尔玛超市
Stocks Plain white T-shirts and household items.
Daily 7.30am-10.30pm. B1/F, Block B, Wanda Plaza, 93 Jianguo Road, Chaoyang District (5960 3566) 朝阳区建国路93号万达广场B座 B1层
See Directory for more listings.
Directions
1. Before starting the tie-dye process, wash the T-shirt.
2. Cut open a few garbage bags and lay them out like a sheet, covering your intended work area.
3. Lay the T-shirt on a flat surface.
4. For a spiral design, pinch a section in the middle of the T-shirt and twist the fabric into a spiral (it will look like a messy ball, but that’s okay). Hold the spiral in place with at least two rubber bands. For a circle design, pinch the T-shirt in the center and then twist it into a long worm shape, keeping the center of the T-shirt as the "head" of the worm (see Figure A). Wrap rubber bands in evenly spaced sections down the length of the "worm" (see Figure B). Search online for other funky tie-dye designs.
5. Wearing gloves, carefully prepare the dye in a squirt bottle. Combining the dye with hot water and 50g of salt.
6. When the dyes are ready, squirt them one-by-one onto the T-shirt. Start with the lightest color before moving on to the darker ones.
7. Make sure the T-shirt is thoroughly covered with dye and make sure you get dye in the folds of the shirt (see Figure C).
8. Place the dyed shirt in a re-sealable zip-lock bag and let it sit for at least an hour. This will help the colors set.
9. Next, take the T-shirt out and lay it flat on a clean plastic garbage bag. Let the shirt dry, avoiding direct sunlight. The drying process takes around one day.
10. Once the T-shirt is dry – setting the dye into the cotton – you’ll need to wash it again. The colors may bleed during the first few washes, so hand washing or washing separately is recommended. The first wash should be done in cold water.
11. After your T-shirt has had its inaugural wash, it’s now ready to wear!
Find other craft supplies at:
Daxin Fangzhi 大新纺织
Stocks fabric and ribbons.
Daily 9am-8pm. 251 Chaoyangmennei Dajie, Dongcheng District (southwest corner of Dongsi crossroad) (6559 7584) 东城区朝阳门内大街251号（东四十字路口西南角）
Dongjiao Market 东郊市场
Stocks construction and craft materials, as well as kitchenware, clothing and food.
Daily 8am-5pm. A12 Xidawang Lu, Chaoyang District 朝阳区西大望路甲12号
Gehua Baihua Art Equipment Store 歌华百花美术用品店
Stocks paint, dye, and other art supplies.
Summer: daily 9am-5.30pm. Winter: daily 9am-6.30pm. 12 Wusi Dajie, Dongcheng District (6513 3177) 东城区五四大街12号
Hobby Town 合璧堂
Stocks DIY materials, tools and clothing.
Daily 10am-10pm. Stall 10, B1/F, Joy City, Xidan, Xicheng District 西城区西单大悦城B1层10室 (5970 4778)
Hongzhong Art Equipment Store
红中美术用品商店
Stocks dye and art supplies.
Daily 9am-9pm. 9 Meishuguan Dongjie, Dongcheng District 东城区美术馆东街9号
Jinwuxing City 金五星百货城
Stocks craft supplies (visit hall 3), construction materials, clothes and food.
Daily 8.30am-6pm. Xueyuannan Lu (next to Dazhong Si Subway Station) 海淀区学院南路（近大钟寺地铁站）
Tianyu Market 天宇小商品批发市场
Stocks craft materials such as ribbon, glitter and colored paper.
Daily 9am-6pm. 10 Tuanjiehu Dongli, Chaoyang District (8598 9292, 8598 9422) 朝阳区团结湖路东里10号
Wantong Market 万通商城
Stocks craft materials such as ribbon and paper.
Daily 9am-8.30pm. 2/F, 2 Fuchengmenwai Dajie, Xicheng District (6858 8145) 西城区阜成门外大街2号 2楼
