Message:  On your web page you have a T-shirt with 'peace' written on it.  Would you tell me what you used?  Wax??  Just learning to dye, using home grown indigo.  Would like to put a logo on t-shirts.  Thanks Marianne

The 'peace' shirt was treated with an Elmer's Washable blue School Gel resist and dyed with a fiber reactive Cibacron F type dye. See pictures and instructions at this page: "Immersion Dyeing with Water Soluble Resist ".

I've heard that Elmer's Washable Glue Gel can be used as a resist for indigo, too, but that it's important that the dyebath be 120°F or cooler, as otherwise the glue gel will dissolve too quickly. The glue gel must be absolutely dry before you immerse it in the dyebath, and you should not immerse it for an extended period of time for fear of dissolving the glue resist in the dyebath.

If you use Elmer's Washable Glue Gel on top of indigo-dyed fabric, it may discharge the dye, so don't use it on dyed fabric that you do not want to discharge.

The glue gel is very convenient to use; it is cheap and comes with a useful applicator tip (I drew the writing directly onto the shirt using the glue bottle). It is much easier to remove from the fabric than a real batik wax resist. However, this can also be a problem if your glue dissolves in the dye. It's best to use Elmer's Glue Gel as a resist only for painted-on dye or very brief immersion. Be careful that the glue on the fabric does not contact another part of the fabric while it's in the dye, because the glue can transfer to it.

To remove the glue resist after you have completed your dyeing, follow the instructions on the label, which say to first presoak the fabric in cold water, then launder as usual. Some dyers prefer to scrape off excess glue with a dull knife before laundering.

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