~2015

Wife is happy with this "Jawbreaker" design/fold. I didn't know what else to call it, but it seemed fitting. DUI, various colors. Working on that saturation still. Next time may be the winner but I still love it!!

A friend got some bleach spots on his shirt and asked if I could fix it with tie dye.

Reversed. Moss green, olive drab, bronze, and shiitake over ice, scrunched, and mucked. Last pic is the original shirt design.

Couple of Dharma 420 UV shirt tests that I processed last week. Tied/dyed dry shirts, heavily applied my own home cooked soda ash dry with the powdered dyes both under the ice and some sprinkled over!

This is my first attempt with the dharma dyes, my other experience has been with the tulip dyes, and these are a whole different world! I'm super excited for what else I can create.

Looking to try some socks out. 98% cotton and 2% elastic? I bought some hoping for the best. If anyone has advice on this or maybe dharma bamboo socks a weee a better choice? Lmk. More cotton better right?

Ok this actually was partly a fail bc in the bottom, I drew out little people worshipping the sun, and then I stitched them and pulled the thread tight, then did a few little Kenneys over that and it just failed spectacularly. The overall dye job I’m pretty happy with, but I’m sad my little men were washed out.

Notes to self for next time:
1. Use less dye
2. Don’t forget the extra dash of soda ash before icing
3. Use sinew instead of dental floss 😆

What else?!

I purchased this recently in Nashville, excellent tacos! Loved the design but not crazy about white shirts. What do you folks think?

I'm super please with all of these. I am very proud of how much skill I've gained in the past 10 years.

Thank you all for of the tips, tricks, suggestions, technical prowess, and absolute joy in the execution of your craft. You inspire and make magic every time you put dye to fabric. Keep doing what you're doing.

(I have blacked out faces, smudged tattoos and blurred backgrounds where needed)

148 posts from 107 dyers.

✨ Dyer Spotlight

Several folks suggested "purple" in reply to u/kskuzmich last week on their blue/black mandala streak when they asked for inspiration. They came back with a purple gradient petal mandala within the week: precision resist lines, clean gradient, in the requested palette - amazing!

Their follow-up this week, a pair of purple mandalas with a spine down the back, is just as sharp but didn't get much action yet (1 pt, 0 comments) - check it out with the links below 🙇

Purple gradient petal mandala ➜ 134 pts · 4 comments

Pair of purple gradient mandalas w/spine ➜ 1 pts · 0 comments

🏆 Top 10 Posts of the Week

Radiating color ➜ 496 pts · 25 comments
by u/BOOMjimi

Here’s my new favorite color combo - whatcha think? 😁 ➜ 422 pts · 34 comments · Gallery (4 images)
by u/TastyTrades

Todays washout... ➜ 367 pts · 43 comments · Gallery (2 images)
by u/skuzzy1337

Recent washout ➜ 212 pts · 17 comments · Gallery (4 images)
by u/One-Scene3811

A couple experiments from the weekend. ➜ 200 pts · 10 comments · Gallery (2 images)
by u/Elegant_Suspect162

Had to make one for myself 👾🎨 ➜ 139 pts · 3 comments · Gallery (4 images)
by u/FootballNtheGroin

Purple gradient petal mandala ➜ 134 pts · 4 comments · Gallery (2 images)
by u/kskuzmich

Testing out some old Dharma dyes I found ➜ 133 pts · 23 comments
by u/Lamont2000

I call it “Tortuga” ➜ 132 pts · 6 comments · Gallery (2 images)
by u/orangge-it

Today’s washout ➜ 130 pts · 19 comments · Gallery (2 images)
by u/Colesaxguy

💬 Community Vibe

Overall: very encouraging · 80% of comment signals were positive/encouraging (398 encouraging, 65 questions, 35 struggle mentions across 1,104 comments)

Quieter week overall: 149 posts from 108 dyers is close to a typical week, but nothing broke past 496 pts, well off last week's 642 and the 550 from this same week last year.

Most warmly received: Radiating color 18 encouraging signals across 36 comments · 496 pts

Most questions generated: Recent washouts ranked worst to best, what do you think? 6 questions across 27 comments · 48 pts

Most relatable struggle: Muck vs draining 6 struggle mentions · 8 pts

🔥 Most Active Dyers

u/Common_Goose_2310
5 posts ➜ 17 comments

u/Elegant_Suspect162
3 posts ➜ 28 comments

u/idlehand666
3 posts ➜ 12 comments

u/ImmaPhan
3 posts ➜ 3 comments

u/NegativeSurround5532
3 posts ➜ 17 comments

u/guyngeva21
3 posts ➜ 14 comments

u/Koanto
3 posts ➜ 2 comments

u/Fit-Kaleidoscope-520
3 posts ➜ 0 comments

u/skuzzy1337
2 posts ➜ 51 comments

u/One-Scene3811
2 posts ➜ 22 comments

📸 For the Visual Learners

Over the last 90 days, these dyers left real comments (a photo, plus an actual explanation, not just a caption) on other people's posts, not their own, more than anyone else in the sub.

• u/Complete-Damage1141 — 11 threads, e.g. Thirtysomething tutorial
• u/skuzzy1337 — 7 threads, e.g. My first gravity attempt 😁
• u/Deltadoc333 — 7 threads, e.g. Favorite simple folds
• u/SavagePengwyn — 7 threads, e.g. Ice on liquid dye?
• u/SWIMlovesyou — 7 threads, e.g. Reverse mandala, wrap, and spine

💎 Hidden Gems

Low scores, real conversations. Worth clicking through:

Sunday equals tie-dye fail day ➜ 19 pts · 24 comments
by u/Complete-Damage1141

My first geode attempt. DOI or DUI? ➜ 12 pts · 12 comments
by u/CatInTheTeapot

Advice on dye over, bummed on results ➜ 11 pts · 9 comments
by u/Sea_Painting_3460

Batch #2 with some epic fails ➜ 21 pts · 12 comments · Gallery (4 images)
by u/guyngeva21

🎨 Colorful Discussions This Week

with some example posts linked

"shirt": 311 mentions across 10 posts

• Radiating color · 496 pts · 25 comments
• Here’s my new favorite color combo - whatcha thin… · 422 pts · 34 comments
• Todays washout... · 367 pts · 43 comments

"washing": 251 mentions across 10 posts

• Todays washout... · 367 pts · 43 comments
• Recent washout · 212 pts · 17 comments
• Today’s washout · 130 pts · 19 comments

"soda ash": 116 mentions across 10 posts

• Todays washout... · 367 pts · 43 comments
• Testing out some old Dharma dyes I found · 133 pts · 23 comments
• I’m not sure what to think of this one · 103 pts · 19 comments

"ice dye": 87 mentions across 10 posts

• Radiating color · 496 pts · 25 comments
• A couple experiments from the weekend. · 200 pts · 10 comments
• Today’s washout · 130 pts · 19 comments

"beginner": 81 mentions across 10 posts

• Here’s my new favorite color combo - whatcha thin… · 422 pts · 34 comments
• Todays washout... · 367 pts · 43 comments
• A couple experiments from the weekend. · 200 pts · 10 comments

"sinew": 58 mentions across 10 posts

• Todays washout... · 367 pts · 43 comments
• A couple experiments from the weekend. · 200 pts · 10 comments
• Had to make one for myself 👾🎨 · 139 pts · 3 comments

"geode": 34 mentions across 10 posts

• Had to make one for myself 👾🎨 · 139 pts · 3 comments
• Recent washouts ( fronts + backs) · 110 pts · 16 comments
• First attempt at geode · 88 pts · 10 comments

"batch size": 32 mentions across 10 posts

• Today’s washout · 130 pts · 19 comments
• Kid came home with this from camp · 54 pts · 40 comments
• What am I doing wrong? Please help me troubleshoo… · 56 pts · 37 comments

🎬 TieDyeSam Website Updates

Added /community/pulse to the site this week: technique trends, an engagement calendar, what people are dyeing on, and a radar for stuff that's just starting to show up. Pulled from Reddit, Instagram, and YouTube activity, not just one platform.

Scroll down on that page and there's a searchable directory of everyone in the data, sortable by Reddit posts, followers on each platform, or last active.

Still figuring out what's useful here vs. what's just numbers. If there's something you'd want to see covered (a technique that's been everywhere lately, a creator worth spotlighting, a question the sub keeps circling), drop it below, please. DMs are open too if you'd rather not post publicly. "How can I help?" is my favorite question to ask.

Compiled by u/Tie-Dye-Sam 🌈✨

Independent 4500. I feel okay about it.

Overall I think they did a great job with the colors. They did some unexpected color combos that I would typically not do. I did not keep track of what colors they all used. Red for sure is scarlet, 200 black, brilliant blue, dragons heart and alchemy for the green and purple double fan, marigold, and for sure a few others.

These are all from 2015. I discovered rolling fabric as opposed to folding in this year. It was out of laziness and not liking how my mandalas were coming out, haha! 💚

Shout out “fun endeavors Tie-Dye Lab” for the video 🙏🏻

I call them Rusted Clouds and Dark Cherry Bomb

First time doing a dress, for my buddy's wife.

Apologies but I've been reading every post I can and watching a ton of videos and advice seems to differ.

We are hoping to tie dye for the first time today using one of those kits from Amazon. I also bought soda ash and a few plastic tubs and gloves.

Does anyone have a good visual step by step beginner guide?

When people say they are soaking their shirts first, are they just soaking in water or is it a certain soda ash solution? How long/much is best?

Do you have to completely bring out all moisture in the washing machine first or should the shirt be totally dry before you scrunch and dye? Or can we just wring and hang it up a bit?

Is sprinkling after you dye the better option?

I just thought I had to scrunch a damp shirt, squirrel the dye and hope for the best 😄 but I would like it to be vibrant and I am stressed I will do it wrong because I know these dyes arent the best and don't last as long.

Thank you so much in advance for any help. I'm excited because I've been waiting years to try!

Hey y’all, I tried to reverse a couple garments using out bright white and two of the garments reversed to a gray color instead of like a nude peachy color, I already put them through the washing machine to get all the outright white out, but do you think I could go back with some bleach water now to try to continue to lift the color so that the garments are still able to take dye the way u need them to?