Name: Ryan
Message: I have only a very trivial question. I want to tie dye a peace sign and am wondering when to put the shirt in soda ash. Do I sew the sign and then put it in the ash and let the ash dry before pulliny the strings together and dying or do I do all the folding and then put it in the ash?

All of these will work. I'd pull the strings tight right after sewing with them, though. Soda ash solution can get into tightly tied garments, if you let it soak for a while. You can presoak the fabric before or after tying; if you do it before tying, you can line-dry it before folding, or tie it wet. I don't like to tie wet garments, personally, but many prefer it that way. Try not to breathe much of the dust from dried presoaked garments, as the soda ash is somewhat irritating. You can use a face mask if it's a problem.

I would recommend that you sew an outline of the design, leaving white in between the lines. That is, sew one circle that is the outside of the peace sign, two big ones that are the larger openings, and two small circles that are the smaller openings at the bottom, as in the drawing attached below. Then use rubber bands or artificial sinew to hold tightly in the same places that the thread goes. You might want to add a little thickener, such as sodium alginate or Superclear, so that the dye doesn't creep across the lines too easily, or you might prefer not to do so.


Also see How to Tie-Dye a Peace Sign.