Commercial Dyes

• The dyes sold in craft stores especially for tie-dyeing offer the greatest range of colors and the most vibrant hues. Some come in powder form, and to make them you must mix them with water and salt or urea. Others come in plastic squeeze bottles with nozzles, so that the dye can be applied carefully to selected areas of the fabric. These dyes require no mixing or other preparation. The fabric usually has to be soaked in lye or soda ash prior to dyeing.