Ice-Dye Bodysuit – my fun ice-dye experiment

ice dye experiment, ice-dye bodysuit

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I found a picture that I saved on Pinterest many, many years ago, and immediately decided it was time for an ice-dye experiment.

Ice-Dye Bodysuit - my fun ice-dye experiment

I’ve tried to find the original post, but it seems like the photo only exists on Pinterest. Unfortunately there are no further instructions and no-one to credit.

So here’s my ice-dye experiment, an attempt to reverse-engineer the above photo by dyeing a bodysuit for myself.

My kids are calling it my baby onesie, but I’ll ignore them. And their newborn crying noises.

I started by soaking the bodysuit in soda ash solution, then I dried it completely. I figured that a dry shirt would wick the dye water better and would leave less white.

I had to guess how much dye and ice to apply. Too much and it would all mix, too little and I’d end up with white stripes! I think I got the ice right.

ice dye experiment, ice-dye bodysuit

I loved the colour splitting effect on the original shirt, so I chose dyes that would split. I chose dragonfruit, deep purple, and mermaid’s dream from Dharma Trading. My colours didn’t split much, but I’m wondering if I overdid the dye? Maybe less would work better. Or I could sprinkle a little bit of another colour in with the main one.

I’ll have to try again soon with less dye powder, and also try mixing colours.

That’s the fun of ice-dye experiments – there are so many ways they can go!

What do you think, is it a wearable ice-dye? Or back to the drawing board? Got any other tweaks I can try?

We use Procion dyes, but if you want something a little simpler Tulip tie-dye kits are a great option.

Thanks for watching! We’d love to hear if you decide to try it and DIY your own monochrome tie-dye spiral. Tag @dyediyhq on Instagram or Facebook and we’ll check it out.

Hey, I’m Kelly! I’ve been tie-dyeing since 2008 for my family + business.

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2 Comments

  1. Debbie

    I think you’re close to it. I wouldn’t do a straight line but, a little curved. Also, I would put it on an incline so the colors run instead. JMO

    Reply
    • Kelly Kotanidis

      Both good ideas! I was going to do curves but it all got a bit unpredictable and straight lines were easier.
      Also, I really should have used something more precise to add the dye. It was going everywhere…this whole experiment gave me LOTS Of ideas on how to improve it!

      Reply

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