Name: angie
Message: What will happen if I use a 50/50 cotton poly shirt to tie dye?

The polyester will not dye, but will remain white, while the cotton will take the dye, resulting, usually, in pastel shades. This often looks very good, so it is worth doing. It is best to buy 100% cotton shirts to dye (carefully avoiding any with a "stain resistant finish"), but if you already have a 50% cotton 50% polyester shirt, go ahead and dye it.

Beware, however, of dyeing a 50% polyester shirt red, if you are dyeing a shirt for a boy who is young enough to refuse to wear any pink. In that case, it is safest to stick to blues and greens.

Do not tie-dye with all-purpose dye; use fiber reactive dye, such as Procion MX type dye.