TIE DYED WRAPPING CLOTH
I am always thinking of the most fun way to present a gift to someone. If I am using wrapping paper, it has to be the cutest and I have to make sure to have pretty ribbon and a name tag. I started using craft paper and drawing on it myself when there was a festive party theme. As Bryan and I make a conscious effort to work towards reducing our carbon footprint, I have been thinking about ways to use less paper material and wrap a gift in something the receiver can reuse. Furoshiki is a traditional Japanese technique of using fabric to wrap items and gifts, and that was definitely my inspiration! I chose to dye kitchen towels because they are a great size to use as wrapping, and I can use them in the kitchen (we go through a lot of kitchen towels because we no longer buy paper towels). I went with a brighter color palette for this project, using teal, coral, and yellow (which also happen to be my favorite colors). I also wanted to give an all-natural option, so I also used turmeric for some of the towels. Shockingly, the turmeric is my favorite. I LOVE how they turned out. Below I will detail how I did this.
Items you will need
napkins (I used these, but you can easily find any white napkins from a small business or not amazon)
dye - I used RIT dye in daffodil yellow, coral, and tropical teal (I got mine at Amazon and Michaels, where you will find a large choice of colors)
rubber bands
tongs
gloves (or your hands if you don’t care about warmer temperatures/getting a little dye on your hands)
a large enough pot to fit your items
water
Step 1
The very first thing I did was wash the towels to get any residue or dirt off. I then rubber banded them in random patterns. Some I did just a long cylindrical roll with a rubber band every 2 inches or so, some I took little corners and rubber banded, twirled them a little, wrapped that section, did this in a few different areas, and then wrapped it into a smaller ball (see the pictures). You really honestly can do whatever you want, that’s the fun of tie dye!
Step 2
To use the RIT dye, heat 1 1/2 gallons of water in a tall/round pot with 1/4 cup salt until at least 148 degrees. Pour in the dye and give it a good stir. Drop the towel in, or if you want to do a few colors, dip the section you want colored, find some clips, and clip the remaining towel to the pot so it stays in place. Let the towel sit in the solution for at least 30 minutes, unless you are going for a lighter version of the color. If you want a really light version, I would just do about 5-10 minutes. Keep in mind, it will lighten a little bit in the wash. All of this is on the back of the bottle.
To use natural coloring, do some research, but I’ll link some sites I have found helpful. You’ll need to make a mordant, which is a solution of salt or vinegar that helps retain color. For the turmeric, I used apple cider vinegar because it was what I had, but white wine vinegar is ideal. I did a small batch for this so I did maybe 4 cups of water to 3 tablespoons of vinegar.
Step 3
Once you have reached the amount of time you prefer, run the towel under cold water, squeezing constantly, until it runs clear. Personally, I let mine air dry for a bit, but I’m not sure if that really did anything. I then washed them on warm (I did several timed loads per color, starting with lightest and ending with darkest) with a raggedy towel in there to prevent staining the machine. I then dried them on the lowest, quickest setting.
Step 4
Now that your towel is dry, wrap away! I basically laid my gift down in the center, took two corners that were across from each other and tied a knot. I then took the other two corners, tightened the gift, and tied another knot. You can finish with a cute little handmade paper tag and some ribbon if you so desire, or you can keep it nice and simple!
Websites I found helpful
http://www.allnaturaldyeing.com/natural-dye-colors/
https://www.ritdye.com/instructions/using-rit-all-purpose-dye/
https://www.architecturaldigest.com/story/how-to-naturally-dye-using-food (this one is really detailed about the mordant and pre-soaking)
Did you try this? I would love to hear how your tie dying went! I would also love to hear if you have any tips.
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