If you like expressing yourself with totally unique clothing—or you like selling one-of-a-kind apparel—you’ll love tye dyeing with ice. While you can choose the pattern of a traditional tie-dye look, ice tie dyeing is a lot more random, and out of the ordinary.
Here’s the difference: When you go the traditional tye-dye route, you tie your garment in a specific way to achieve a spiral or accordion pattern, for example. You might even spot apply the dye in particular places for a custom look. With ice tie dyeing, however, you cover your t-shirt with ice and then sprinkle dye powder across the ice. Then, you allow the ice to melt, and the dye interacts with the shirt to create a totally custom look.
The coolest part? The only two ingredients you really need are ice and powdered dye. To boil it down, you’ll sprinkle powdered dye on top of your ice and wait for it to melt. That’s it! The dye will mix as the ice turns to water, and you’ll get a wonderful, mottled watercolor effect on your t-shirt.
Some people even say that ice tie dyeing is easier and less messy (we’ll take less clean-up time!) than traditional tie dye. We’ve got eight steps for a fun, easy and unique ice tie-dye technique you can use on your favorite t-shirt in your kitchen, laundry room or garage.
Some people love to call ice tie dyeing “tie dyeing with snow.” Since this whimsical tie-dye process is almost mess-free, it’s a great technique to try with kids.
Step-by-Step Instructions for Ice Dye Tie-Dye
Since you probably have ice in your freezer, you’ve got half the ingredients for this tie-dye masterpiece already. You’ll just need to have powdered fabric dye in the hue or hues you want to use in your ice tie-dye t-shirt design. So let’s get started!
1. Gather Your Ice Dye Supplies.
Take some time to gather what you’ll need for this project. Here’s a short list of what we recommend you use:
- Blank white t-shirts
- A bag of ice
- Powdered fabric dye (no liquid dye needed!)
- Soda ash (optional)
- Dye dispenser bottle (optional)
- Cooling or wire rack
- A large plastic or glass bin
- A protective plastic sheet for your work area
- A timer
- Rubber gloves
- Work clothes and an apron
- Dust mask (optional)
2. Select the Best T-Shirt for Ice Dye Tie-Dye.
Here at Threadsy, we think choosing the blank shirt is the most thrilling part of any project. After all, your t-shirt is your blank canvas for your creativity and self-expression!
For DIY ice dye t-shirts, 100% cotton tees in white or other very light colors are the way to go. Natural fibers like cotton absorb pigment more readily than synthetic fabrics. And choosing a white background for your tie-dye creation will help produce a vibrant finished product. We’ve found that natural or pastel color tees also create a neat effect when combined with darker or complementary color dyes.
3. Choose Your Shades of Dye.
When you’re choosing your dye, think about the look you want. If you’re into that on-trend monochrome look, choose one color dye you love. You can also choose multiple colors, if you want a more varied look. In any case, the dye you select should be in powder form.
Some ice tie-dye experts recommend using fiber-reactive dyes. These dyes react with a t-shirt’s natural fibers in cold water (melted ice) to create permanent, fade-proof patterns. These dyes result in brighter colors that won’t fade in the washer.
4. Prepare Your Shirt for Ice Tie Dyeing.
First, wash your blank t-shirt sans fabric softener. Skip the dryer and hand-wring the shirt after washing to remove some of the moisture. You’ll want it to be damp, since wet fabric will take the dye more effectively than dry fabric.
If you’re pinched for time or doing this craft in a classroom or other space without a washer, just wet the shirt in a sink or bucket of water and wring it out.
Pro tip: Pre-soaking your t-shirt in soda ash will help you get the most fade-proof vibrant colors that you can from your ice dye process. You can easily purchase soda ash from a big-box store or craft supply. Follow the directions on the packet to soak the t-shirt, and then rinse it and let it dry to damp.
5. Prepare Your Ice Tie-Dye Work Area.
You can even do this while you’re washing your white t-shirt. Of course, work in an area where it’s OK if things get a little messy, like in your kitchen or outside. In addition, your tie-dye masterpiece will need time to process, so set your station up in a low-traffic area of your home, so that it can sit undisturbed.
Place your plastic sheet on your work surface. Then place your cooling rack inside your bin, and then place your bin on the plastic sheet.
In addition to your work clothes, apron and gloves, you might want to wear a cloth mask to prevent inhaling the powdered dye, if you or others have respiratory sensitivities or allergies.
6. Get Ready to Break Out the Ice.
First, wad up your t-shirt and fit it onto your cooling rack. Try to bunch (or scrunch) your shirt evenly across the rack. The scrunch technique is the easiest (especially for kids), since you’ll randomly cumple the t-shirt and place it on the rack.
The good news? You don’t need to worry about complicated folding or twisting techniques since the ice will create the uniquely organic patterns on your t-shirt. Of course, if you get more experience with ice tie dyeing methods and you want to try a bull’s-eye, accordion stripe or spiral pattern, go to it! It’ll just require a specific set of folding technique steps to achieve that look.
Then, start laying your ice over the shirt. Try to cover as much of the shirt as possible with your ice, and attempt to add an even amount of cubes over the shirt. (In future ice tie-dyeing adventures, you can experiment with your ice placement and amounts.)
Pro tip (for rebels): If you want to try something totally different from the cooling rack and bin, you can use a flower vase with a wide mouth. Create layers of ice, dye, t-shirt, ice, dye and garment until you reach the top. However, please note that your top layer must be ice topped with dye.
7. Color Us Happy! It’s Time to Apply the Dye.
If you haven’t already pulled your gloves on, do it now. (You’ll always want to protect your hands from any type of dye you’re using.)
Your powdered dye might come in a squeeze bottle, which you’d add water to for a traditional tie-dye process. In this case, you’ll just sprinkle the dry dye over the ice. This method allows you to easily control the amount of dye you add on top of the ice. If you’ve purchased powdered dye in a plastic pouch, we recommend transferring it into a squeeze bottle so that you don’t accidentally dump a lot of powder on one area of your white t-shirt.
If this is your first time tie dyeing with ice, just sprinkle your powdered dye evenly all over the shirt. After you’ve gotten used to the process, you can experiment more, with additional colors and adding dye heavier in some places and lighter in others to get color variation.
8. The Ice Tie-Dye Magic’s Happening—Now it’s Time to Hurry Up and Wait.
You may not be prepared to hear this, but you’re going to need to let your t-shirt sit for about 24 hours. Yes, the ice tye-dye method isn’t great if you’re the impatient type. However, the results are well worth it.
Here’s what happens: After the ice melts, the powdered dye needs that full day-and-night cycle to adhere to your t-shirt. The longer you can let the t-shirt “marinate,” the brighter and more vivid your colors will be.
However, if you’re after a pastel look, you can move on to the next step earlier, after six to eight hours. That’s why it makes sense to periodically check on your t-shirt to see how the color’s developing.
9. You Love the Color, so Let’s Get This T-shirt Ready to Wear.
You’re in the home stretch! Put your gloves back on, and move your bin near your sink, if possible. You’ll want to transfer your t-shirt into the sink.
Pro tip: If you can’t move the bin to the sink for whatever reason (like it’s too heavy or cumbersome from the melted ice), you can place the t-shirt into a plastic trash bag to carry it.
Once you’ve got your t-shirt in your empty sink, rinse it in cold water to remove any extra dye. You’ll know you’re ready for the next step when you see that the water is running clear.
Now, wash the shirt alone in your laundry machine to remove any remaining dye. Once it’s washed, you can dry your t-shirt like you normally do, in the dryer or on a clothesline.
Subhead: Don’t Stop Ice Tie Dyeing!
What we love about tie dyeing with ice (or snow) is the element of surprise. You’re exercising less control over your t-shirt design than with other tie-dye methods that use liquid dye. Tie dyeing with ice (or snow!) results in one-of-a-kind watercolor designs that you can wear or sell.
Find Your Next Piece to Ice Tie-Dye from Threadsy!
Once you’ve gotten the ice dye bug, it’s hard to stop. Don’t fret! Threadsy is here to help with tons of tie-dyeable blank clothing at super low prices. T-shirts are our most popular products, but the fun doesn’t have to stop there. Check out cotton canvas totes, aprons, or even towels for your next ice dye adventure.
