iDye DIY: Ombre Tote Bags

Turn that boring bag into a back-to-school fashion statement! School has started, you’ve got your supplies. What are you carrying it all around in? If you have a boring bag, we have everything you need to pack it with personality. We’re taking a page out of our own book and using that handy Jacquard iDye!

What You’ll Need:

Tongs

Rubber Gloves

Stainless steel or enamel pot

100% cotton tote bag(s)

1 Cup of Non-Iodized Salt

Optional: Jacquard Sythnrapol

1 Packet of Jacquard iDye for Natural Fabrics

Note: utensils and pot used for dyeing should not be used for food.

Instructions:

We wanted to switch things up a bit for this DIY and try a new technique. We found a simple ombre DIY and figured we'd test it out for ourselves! iDye colors become darker and more vibrant the longer the fabric is in the dye bath, making this technique an easy way to get great results!

Pro Tip: Use clips to hold the fabric in place so you don’t have to keep your hands over the hot dye bath!

Step 1. Fill your pot with water until it’s about halfway full. You want to make sure there is enough room for the fabric to circulate the pot so that the dye can circulate around the clothing. Pre-soak the fabric for a few minutes to remove any size, remove and wring dry, set aside.

Step 2. Add one cup of salt to dye bath as a fixative for the iDye Natural and bring water to a boil. Add a full packet of iDye. Once the iDye packet has dissolved, submerge the bottom of your fabric in the dye bath and let it sit for a few minutes. Gradually submerge the fabric into the dye bath, subtracting the length of time the further up you go.

Step 3. Once your fabric has reached the desired shades, remove it and put it into a large bucket. Add Synthrapol (optional), and rinse until the water runs clear. Jacquard Synthrapol is a very concentrated soap that will dissolve water-based products like dye and keep them from adhering to other garments. This way, if you wash your newly dyed clothing with other items in the washing machine after dyeing them, your clothing won’t be ruined! It’s also good for use as a wetting agent, preparing clothing for being dyed, and cleaning up.

Although this video is for iDye poly, you can still dye with iDye natural using the stove top method. This is just a general idea of what the process will look like.

Have you been bit by the iDye DIY bug yet? Show off your results with using by tagging us with #ACScommunity on Instagram!