community of dyers

If you're just going to pour a cup of dilute soda ash on them, why not do it after they put the shirts in the bag, instead of before? Even easier!

When I did a little project with fifth-graders, and put the soda ash in the bag afterwards, I advised them each to pick just two of the three primary colors, so they wouldn't combine to make mud.

-Paula

I'm guessing they'll put the dye on after you put it in a bag also? So they bundle it and put it in a bag, pour in some soda ash, then go to the area with dye & put dye on it. So the soda ash water would soak in (at least some) by the time they get to the dye area.

BaronessColor.Blogspot.com

I wanted to let them dye their shirts and then pour the soda ash onto it, let the excess soda ash solution drip out and then put it into bags and place it on the side.

my other idea was to let them tie up their shirts and then pour the soda ash onto their shirts right before they dye them, but will that be okay? I think it'll be something like 5 seconds before they dye the shirts instead of the 15 minutes to an hour that I always went by...

any thoughts?

I just spend the entire day measuring out and pouring something like 20 cups of dye with 7 different colors!!! so I am totally giving them the opportunity to use as many colors as they like!!!

thanks!

~Elisheva

I don't see the point. Soda ash is not that dangerous. They have to wear gloves to handle the dye anyway, so why not let them handle soda-soaked shirts?

-Paula

Thank you for saying that!

Soda ash exists in many every day laundry detergents, it's not THAT caustic, and once it's been added to water it isn't even an inhalation risk. Gloves- and if there's still worry, then safety glasses- should be all that's needed.

Judi Hurwitt
Approachable Art
http://approachable-art.blogspot.com

not really. last year there was someone who got soda ash solution in his eyes and it was reeeaaaallly bad. so I dont want the kids touching this stuff at all. the other problem is that it wastes a tremendous amount of time when they have to wait 15 minutes while their shirts are soaking in the solution. that plus everything gets mixed up and its almost impossible to find your shirt among a jumble of other shirts soaking in the same solution. I'm going to pour the soda ash on the shirts today and see what happens. I was going to get that spin dryer thing from dharma which would make things a lot easier and then just give them the shirt slightly wet with the soda ash already inside the shirt.

~Elisheva