If you love decorating cakes and cookies, you probably get excited at the idea of being able to dye clothing with food coloring. However, most people will tell you that you can’t dye clothes with food coloring. While this is true for most types of fabric and dyes, it turns out that it IS possible to dye clothes with food coloring. It just takes a little creativity and some special materials! If you like the idea of learning how to dye clothing with food coloring but are put off by the idea of having to bake your clothes or dip them in some strange concoction, then read on. We’ll explain exactly how you can do this with materials you probably have around the house right now.
Can you dye clothes with food coloring?
Yes, you can dye clothes with food coloring. However, the colors may not be permanent and the dye may fade over time. Additionally, the colors may bleed and fade together if you dye your clothes with food coloring.
How To Dye Clothes With Food Coloring?
1) Prepare the Food Coloring
If you want to dye your clothes with food coloring, you’ll need a few things. First, you’ll need a bowl of water so that your clothes can soak in the dye. Second, you’ll need some food coloring. Third, you’ll need to get some fabric out of your closet. Fourth, you’ll need something like a spoon or paint stirrer that will fit into the dyeing container. Fifth, and most importantly, you will need some fabric that the color of your choice will show up on well.
2) Prepare the Fabric
First things first – make sure that your fabric is clean! If it isn’t clean enough or if it is too dirty for this project, then consider using a different fabric or wait until it is clean enough before attempting this project. Then prepare your fabric by laying it out flat on a table and cutting two strips of equal widths from the middle of each piece of fabric (see photo below). Make sure that all four strips are cut evenly and at equal lengths! You’ll want four pieces of equal length for dyeing purposes (you’ll be using two pieces as “dye” colors and two pieces as “maintenance” colors).
3) Prepare the Dye
Now that your strips are cut out, it’s time to prepare the dye! Begin by mixing up a little bit of blue food coloring into some water. Then pour this mixture into the dyeing container and stir it around until all of your blue food colorings are mixed in. The amount you use will depend on how much fabric you have so check out these photos for an idea of how much to use. You can also check out this article for more information about dyeing with food coloring!
4) Preparing the Fabric
Now that you’ve mixed up the dye and your fabric strips are prepared, it’s time to get ready to dye! Take one strip of fabric and place it in the middle of a clean kitchen towel. Then place another strip right on top of that first strip so that there is no space between them (see photo below). This will help keep any excess dye away from your clothing when you dip them into the dye bath. Now take each piece of fabric and fold it over one at a time, making sure not to crease or wrinkle it. Place each piece in its own separate bowl filled with water so that none of the pieces touch or get wet (see photo below). You want each piece to be clean before dipping them in the dye bath so take care when doing this step.
5) Dyeing Your Fabric
After your pieces are prepared and cleaned, it’s time to begin dyeing! Begin by pouring some of the dye mixtures into the container. Once you have poured in enough dye, start by dipping one of your strips into the dye bath (see photo below). Then, lift your strip out of the dye bath and place it onto your first strip to ensure that they are getting dyed evenly. Continue this step with each piece of fabric until all four pieces have been dipped.
6) Letting Your Fabric Dry
After all four pieces have been dyed, it’s time to let them dry! Place them on a clean kitchen towel and allow them to dry for about half an hour or so. This will help them get a little bit more even without having any wrinkles or creases in them! Then, once they are completely dry, lay them out on a flat surface and use scissors to cut off any excess fabric that is hanging off of the sides (see photo below). Now you’re ready for wearing your new colorful shirt!
Why You Can Dye Clothes With Food Coloring?
1. You Can Dye Darker Colors
You don’t need to worry about the color of your fabric dyeing with food coloring. All you need to do is make sure that you use enough food coloring to cover the entire piece of fabric before dipping it in the dye. Then, once you have dipped your fabric into the dye, replace it back in the dye bath and continue doing this until all of your strips have been dyed.
2. It’s Cheap
Dyeing with food coloring can be a lot cheaper than pre-mixed dyes or professional dyes. Not only can you save money on buying these expensive pre-mixed dyes but you can also save money by not having to buy a new set of clothes if they get ruined in the wash!
3. It’s Easy
This is probably one of my favorite things about dyeing with food coloring! This is an extremely easy process and even an extremely novice crafter can do it! If you are new to crafting or have never dyed clothes before, I would highly recommend trying out this method for your next project!
4. You Can Experiment
The great thing about dyeing with food coloring is that you can create all kinds of different colors! You can make purple, blue, green, and anything in between! The sky is the limit when it comes to what you can create with food coloring!
5. It’s Safe
You won’t be able to get in trouble for dyeing with food coloring since it doesn’t contain any chemicals. This means that you don’t have to worry about ruining your clothes if they get stained by your fabric dyeing process.
Tips For Dying Clothes With Food Coloring
1. Always use a clean towel
You can find many different types of fabric in stores. You may even find some of them at your local dollar store! When you are dying your clothes with food coloring, the last thing you want is for your towel to get stained with dye when you are trying to remove it from the dye bath! So make sure that your towel is completely clean before you begin!
2. Use a large container
Make sure that you have a large enough container to hold all of the fabric that you will be dying at once. You don’t want to end up making several trips back and forth from the kitchen sink because you ran out of space in your container!
3. Have enough food coloring on hand
Since food coloring comes in many different colors, I would recommend having several different colors on hand so that you can create as many different shades as possible! For my project, I dyed my fabric with about 2-3 drops of each color before dipping it into the dye bath.
4. Make sure that your fabric is completely dry before dyeing
Just like with any other type of craft project, it’s important to make sure that all pieces of material are completely dry before placing them into a dye bath. If they aren’t completely dry, they will get stained by the liquid dyes and won’t turn out as vibrant as they could have been! If this happens, just use a towel to blot off any excess liquid dye that may have gotten on the fabric.
5. Use a long-handled spoon
While I did use a spoon to dip my fabric into the dye bath, you can also use a long-handled spoon to do it if you prefer!
Bottom Line
If you love decorating cakes and cookies, you probably get excited at the idea of being able to dye clothing with food coloring. However, most people will tell you that you can’t dye clothes with food coloring. While this is true for most types of fabric and dyes, it turns out that it IS possible to dye clothes with food coloring. It just takes a little creativity and some special materials!
