Greetings folk's!

[dedhedjim]

I'm new here.I'm a long time tie-dye fan & wearer yet I am brand new at attempting to dye my own clothes.Being a long time DeadHead,the people I work with have been requesting me to wear tie-dyed clothing to work (I'm a sous-chef).Since I cannot find a source to provide me with dyed chef coats/hats/aprons,and most of the fabric available is a polyester-cotton mix,I am about to start my journey into the self tie-dyed world.
I hope it all works,as I'm about to use a immersion dye for a light base colour,then I'm going to use fabric crayons to highlight the garment. I'll let you all know how it works!

[tiedyejudy]

Welcome!  That's what we like... someone with a new idea!  You should be warned... this stuff is highly addictive!  You may end up selling tie-dye out of the back of your car behind the restaurant!   
Seriously, if you are looking for a place to learn tie-dye, this is one of the best I have come across!  Have fun with it, and let us see the results!

Judy

[steve]

We have done cotton aprons for some time. They're hard to find--especially the nice big aprons that we like to use. We ended up ordering them from a good old fashioned dry goods store from South Carolina called Bluesteins as I recall. They were  $3 - $4 each. They have no web presence. Here's the contact info:

Bluestein Wholesale Dry Goods   933 Gervais Street, Columbia, SC 29201   (803) 779-2244

A recent search revealed another source--in batches of 60:

http://www.instawares.com/economy-bib-apron-100.bvt-610bac.0.7.htm

Here are some cotton chef's coats that aren't too outrageous:

http://www.everythingfortherestaurant.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=CTGY&Store_Code=VU&Category_Code=C

Going to try dyeing up some aprons soon as we are selling bread at a public market, so it won't hurt to have some tie-dye to sell while we are there! Aprons are a nice flat surface and are really easy and fun to dye.

Have fun!

Steve

[dedhedjim]

Thank's tyedyeJudy and Steve,your welcoming posts were cool and useable. I don't know if I'll be selling my work from my pickup,but It's creating some interest. Everyone has always liked my freedom and the easy lifestyle I uphold,so that's why it was suggested that I start wearing tie-dyed gear.
The test coat came out great. I used an immersion die with starbursts,then I splattered random droplets of clorine bleach to white-out tiny spots,which I randomly coloured in with fabric paint.Our chef de'cuisine laughed,then shook his head at my entrance. "Well Jim doesn't need embroidery for us to know who's jacket's are his anymore",was his fitting anouncement to the staff.
This stuff can be addictive.
Oh well,back to the kitchen! Happy 4th to all!
p.s. Great site Steve,my credit card thank's you

[Jeau]

The test coat came out great. I used an immersion die with starbursts,then I splattered random droplets of clorine bleach to white-out tiny spots,which I randomly coloured in with fabric paint.

Hey there dedhedjim--welcome to the forum!  Now you're gonna have to figure out how to post a picture so we can see your coat!  Jeau