My first shirt- comments wanted

[Stone Cold]

 I finally just did it. It's a swirl  but please tell what you think for it being my first one.

what do ya think?? I have another dyed and will rinse tomorrow.
Ray

[ktaltre]

Hi Ray, that's an excellent beginning shirt.
Fun, wasn't it.
k. taltre

[Stone Cold]

Thanks, K. Yes it's fun. I was so excited about rinsing the second one- it's my GF's Bday today and she is a heart maniac. Everything is hearts for her. It actually brought tears to her eyes!!!!!

Here's my second attempt. Come one ya'll let me know what you think- good or bad. So I know if I'm doing it right or not.
I've got really thick skin(too many harsh forums I guess) so don't worry about my feelings 

[ecilA]

Very nice Stone Cold!  Looks like you're on your way!

[Stone Cold]

Thanks, I'm learning on the fly! Or is that the TIE! hahahaha
I am gonna try another heart soon- and would like to do a mandala(sp?)oh and a V fold but I'm a little lost in that one.
I need some better stuff to work with- no thickner yet- but ordering some today. Oh and no synthrapol either.
Thanks for the comments. Any tips?? or things to try??

[ecilA]

Well it looks like you are a born dyer!  Two tips I can give you, 1. keep dyeing and 2. don't be afraid of oversaturating.  The guy who taught me to dye (originally) talked alot about using too much dye, it was something he intentionally avoided.  I met another guy years down the road who believed that you can't use too much!  Now the reality is somewhere in between, it's possible to use so much dye that you mess up the ph and you'll see it in your results, or you could potentially obliterate your design with too much dye but...IMO too little dye is less of a concern than too much and as you can see in the spiral you made, more dye would have netted you a better result.

I'd reccomend trying a scrunch, it's a good one for seeing just how much dye a shirt can hold and also seeing where you hit that point of "too much".  Try starting with yellow, layer on orange and top with fuschia over scrunched and banded fabric and apply enough dye that you have have dye dripping off the bottom after applying to the second side.

What can I tell you about the V fold to help you get a little less lost?

[Stone Cold]

http://www.tie-dyewiki.com/wiki/tiki-index.php?page=V-Neck
In this page, where it says try a curved line. In the 3rd picture set down- it shows on the right the shirt all banded. Which end is up? How do they do it? Just scrunch and band after the accordian fold on the line? And do you fold from the bottom to the top or the other way around. It's probably gonna be my next attempt.
Or something with heart and spirals, or double hearts, or double spiral.
In other words- I don't know what's next !!!!!!!

[ecilA]

On that Vee fold, I always start  the accordion fold on the inside of the shirt (the folded edge), not the outer edge (in the case of the example the shoulder area).  In those pictures the accordion works from middle to top but you would work downwards on the shirt if you were inverting the V. The skinny banded sections are your V and the rest is, as you thought, scrunched and banded.   The small scunch section is the neck of the shirt and the large section the bottom but of course that's not static, it really depends on where you place that V line.  Hope that clarifies things!

[Stone Cold]

yes It does clear the waters some thanks. Gonna have to try something along those lines. Got something tied up and gonna go dye.
 

[Stone Cold]

Here is my 3rd attempt. How am I doing? I tied a V fold and it's dyed and waiting.
I can't figure out how to make a album??

[Marg]

Hi There- That's a pretty nice shirt for your third shirt ever made! I hope you are having fun, that's what it's all about really. Congratulations! Marg

[ktaltre]

OK Ray.....You have the touch. You'll have to buy shelter tent thingy and go on the craft fair circuit.
Nice heart shirt - keep going, you'll only get better.
k. taltre

[Stone Cold]

OK Ray.....You have the touch. You'll have to buy shelter tent thingy and go on the craft fair circuit.
Nice heart shirt - keep going, you'll only get better.
k. taltre

Thanks ya'll. I guess ya can tell I'm from Texas huh?
That's what I thought when I started doing this. The "trades day" close to here didn't have one person selling Tie dyes. Do I can have the market cornered. How much do ya'll charge for something like that last shirt?

[Stone Cold]

here is my attempt at a vfold and another swirl.
Tieing another heart one tonight.
This is gonna be along the lines of #3, I hope!

[fiberartist219]

It looks like you're doing good so far! Your swirl patterns might be more distinct if you apply the dye in a pie shape after you tie it up. I can't wait to see the next heart shape. Those are awesome the way you've been doing them!