Kitsch Kitchen Kolor

Tie dye and custom color clothing are no longer for the passe poser hippies. Thanks to the mere $3 magic-in-a-bottle RIT dye, anyone and everyone can create some color magic in their kitchen.

What you need:
RIT dye- available in the detergent aisle of the grocery market--pay the extra for liquid dye for an easier, cleaner project.

Dye tub- try an under-the-bed storage bin or large stainless steel cooking pot. Both will clean up nicely.

Dud Duds-anything light in color and cotton-poly blend work best. 100% cotton will absorb more color initially, but not be as colorfast.

Gloves- if you can't get your paws on a pair of rubber gloves, go no further than the trash bin--slip a pair of plastic grocery bags over your hands and tie around wrists. This method may look funny, but there isn't a cheaper way to keep your pinky's, well, pink.

Salt- over the should for good luck, and a bit more than a pinch into the dye bath. Try a teaspoon per quart of water used. The salt will help the color deepen, creating the most luscious hues.

Time to get dying!

1: boil water and add salt.
2: transfer hot water to dye bin ( if you are dying in a kitchen pot, then you don't have to transfer anything!)
3: add dye to bath--try a tablespoon per quart--guesstimate. The more dye, the darker the results.
4: add garment.
5: wait...anywhere from 10 minutes to a few hours. experiment.
6: don gloves and wring out garment.
7: rinse in cool water in either a pot, bucket, or stainless steel sink

To Colorfast garment:
combine handful Epsom Salts and a cup White Vinegar in a bucket. Submerge garment. Whisk gently with gloved hands, wring out and remove.

Now your garment will be ready to machine wash. Wash by itself once, or with like colors, dry, and Enjoy your kitsch kitchen kolors.


Tips:

Go back to grade school: try mixing your own colors with basic dyes for an even more unique look.
Tie Dye it: wrap garment in rubber bands and dip in multiple colors for the more traditional looks.
Expand: drapes looking shabby, comforter outdated, try mixing a large dye bath to remake more than your wardrobe!
A twist: Want to color and then add your own designs? Try using a bleach pen to decorate your creation. Just be sure to mix a spray bottle with water and white vinegar to spray on bleached areas immediately. The vinegar will cure the bleach and can prevent over-bleaching.

Get started. It's easy. It's cheap. It's all yours.