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flowy ice dye

fleece as a tool for ice dye

Flowy video demo, for getting blooming effects on thinner fabrics. It was previously rare to see large watercolor effects on thin shirts. This innovation changes the ice dye game!

poly fleece

process notes

flowy ice dye corky lorenz.gif

  • Soaked in soda ash water.

  • Spun out in my spin dryer, to make it slightly damp.

  • Folded with 2 layers of poly fleece fabric behind the shirt. 

  • Placed on a rack so the dye can drip off.

  • Ice and dye were placed on top of the shirt​

  • I let it sit for about 12 more hours after the ice melted.

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Colors used:

  • peony

  • baby pink

  • indigo blue

(dye from Dharma Trading Co)

best results with shirt on a rack

Ice dye can be done "in the muck" or "racked."

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For watercolor style effects, I think racks works best, so the excess dye and liquid can drip off. The item doesn't sit in the extra liquid.

dye process corky lorenz wire basket.jpg

process notes

corky lorenz ice dye.png

  • ​presoaked in soda ash

  • spun out

  • folded with 2 layers of poly fleece fabric

  • dye on top of a lot of ice

  • batch time: 14 hours (I was antsy)

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colors:

  • truffle brown

  • strong navy

  • wasabi​

fleece FAQs

Where do I get fleece?

 

Fleece can be purchased online or in person, at craft stores. I usually buy it locally since it doesn’t need to have any particular technical features. I go to Joann Fabrics, but you might be able to find what you need at hobby lobby or wal-mart. What kind of fleece? You want fabric that is polyester, and thick. Anti pill or blizzard fleece are the most common/available options, locally. Blizzard is usually the cheapest option. Anti-pill is a little nicer quality, so I get that in case I decide I would rather sew something with a part of it. If you find an obscure polyester fabric that is bulky and cheap, in the clearance section, it could be worth a try.

 

I wouldn’t recommend using cotton or other natural fiber fabrics for this purpose. I have used craft felt with success but I don’t know how well that would hold up for long term use.

 

Sometimes, Anti-pill fleece can cost as much as $12/yard. At that price, I grumble and only get what I need. When it’s $5-6/yard, I will get 3-4 yards to have plenty to play with.

 

How much fabric should I get?

 

I would recommend starting with 1-2 yards. Fabric is stored on “bolts” and they cut the amount that you want before you buy it. Take it to the cutting counter and tell them how much you want. You can cut it into smaller chunks when you get home. It’s okay to use a piece that is bigger than necessary. It just gets scrunched into the bin. If you can fit two full shirts onto your piece of fleece, it might be worth cutting it in half, so you can dye 2 items at the same time. But if it’s only big enough for 1 shirt with some extra fleece hanging off, I would just leave the extra. Don’t trim it down. You might like to have that extra for a bigger item in the future.

 

Do I need to prewash it before dyeing with it?

 

No, I don’t prewash it.

 

Do I need to wash it between uses?

 

When I’m in a hurry to dye more things, I just rinse the fleece in my utility sink, and then spin out the excess water with my spin dryer. I will immediately reuse it damp, without washing/drying. I have not noticed any unintended dye transfer doing this. You CAN wash/dry it between uses if it makes your process easier. You can use 1 or 2 layers depending on how much you want to bulk up the thin fabric that you are dyeing.

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