Name: Nicole

Country: USA

Message: Hi, my name is Nicole. I am currently getting ready to start a project for school, that involves making tie dye t-shirts. I will be making the shirts to sell. The money I raise will be donated to help the Breast Cancer Foundation. I would like to use RIT dye, but I can't afford as many colors as I would like. If you could please help me do this project, I would be very greatful. If you could please e-mail me back. Thank You again for your time, and I hope to be hearing from you. 

Please do not use Rit brand all-purpose dye for your fundraising project. All-purpose dye is not colorfast when used for tie-dyeing. Your designs will run together, and they will fade quickly. There is no point to making a tie-dye t-shirt with all-purpose dye. Shirts dyed with all-purpose dye are not going to be good enough to sell.

Furthermore, Rit dye is expensive. Each $2 to $3 box contains enough dye to color only one shirt. It's a waste of money.

Far better than all-purpose dye would be a good tie dyeing kit (not the Rit one), which contains good fiber reactive dye, such as Procion MX or Permabril C dye. Go to your local crafts store or fabric store and look for a tie-dye kit made by Jacquard Products or by Tulip. They will cost about $1 for each shirt you dye. For even better prices, I recommend that you mail-order Procion MX dyes from Dharma Trading Company in California, or from PRO Chemical & Dye in Massachusetts, or from Grateful Dyes in Colorado (choose the one closest to you to save on shipping costs and delivery time). Their dyes are extremely reasonably priced, and, like the dyes in the Jacquard or Tulip kits, both easy to use, and tremendously longer-lasting. One two-ounce jar of Procion MX dye powder, which costs $3 to $6 depending on color, is sufficient to dye twelve t-shirts. That cuts your costs dramatically right there. You'll also need sodium carbonate (soda ash), which you can order along with your dyes in a tie-dye kit, or buy from the swimming pool section of your hardware store.

You also need to consider what shirts you are going to dye. Do not dye shirts that are polyester blends or which have been treated for stain-resistance. Stain-resistant shirts will not dye well. If you order a case of shirts from Dharma Trading Company, the cost will be as low as $1.71 per shirt. Underwear-type shirts from the local discount department store will work, too, as long as they are 100% cotton and are not stain-resistant.

You will need a local source for start-up funds with which to purchase your materials. Ask your friends, your parents and other relatives, and the parents of your friends; it is best to obtain your start-up investment from people who know you and have an idea of how well suited this project is to your abilities. If you choose the economical sources of high-quality materials I suggest, you will be able to stretch this money much farther and make a good profit to turn over to your selected charity.

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