Swirl Up ‘n Dye

Growing up I was always interested in arts and crafting. I enjoy being creative and making unique, one-of-a-kind items for myself, as gifts, and even home décor. It’s always cool to see the end result of something that has been hand knit to keep warm, a heartwarming smile on a friend’s face when they receive a gift specially made for them or a painting that brightens up my living room. While my children were growing up, I entertained them with a multitude of crafts, such as jewelry making, play dough sculptures, beading, painting, and paper mache. Now that they have grown, they continue to be creative and have found their own artistic niche. One interesting and fascinating craft my daughter has found is the art of tie dye!

There are so many different techniques and types of dyes that produce amazing and surprising results. Usually you can buy tie dye kits at most craft or department stores. However, this year is different, and a lot of the stores were sold out. So that meant being imaginative and coming up with ways to create new colours and dyes. A starting point for her was the Public Library. They have great books on all types of ‘do it yourself’ projects including making natural dyes, dying fabrics and yarns as well as tie dye.

She decided to try to brew her own dyes naturally. Dyes from nature such as red cabbage, avocado peels and pits or turmeric not only create unique colours, they are also safe for the environment and sensitive skin and are cost effective. Tie dyeing requires very few supplies. All you need is water, a large pot, a dyeing agent such as red cabbage or even a plant like Goldenrod, fabric (preferably white), elastics and a fork to swirl your fabric.

Purple cabbage before

Purple cabbage after

If you’re interested in saving money on dyes, utilizing your own creative touch and a healthier process you can find all of the details on how to swirl up and dye to create your own masterpieces in books such as ‘Natural Color’ or ‘Contemporary Dyecraft’, both found at Public Libraries. All supplies can be found locally, right here in Saskatchewan! Here are a couple businesses to get you started:

Art supplies: paints, brushes, charcoal, pastels, pens, surfaces – Norcal Art & Framing
Knitting supplies & classes: Prairie Lily Knitting & Needlework Shop
Natural grocery products: Lakeview Fine Foods

Enjoy creating!

-Directwest Marketing Support Assistant – Brand & Digital Platforms