"Nghe" episode 2: Dyeing old shirts at home

Natural Dye is a technique that TimTay has cherished for a long time and now has the opportunity to share with you, because of its "artistic" nature and the story of sustainable fashion behind it.

Accompanying "artistic" episode 2, Thuy Nguyen will guide you on how to dye old clothes yourself with plant-based materials that are familiar in your family. Before we start, let's chat a little with Thuy!

How did Thuy start dyeing fabric?
In 2018, while studying abroad in Australia, majoring in Bachelor of Design in Fashion and Textiles, I participated in the Natural Dye Workshop, part of the Fashion Revolution Australia series of activities. Thuy was impressed and continuously practiced and learned about this technique. Thuy then signed up for a dyeing class at school to learn more about dyeing (including natural and industrial dyeing). And now, fabric dyeing has become an indispensable passion in Thuy's life.

Why does Thuy like dyeing fabric?

Thuy likes to process materials in fashion in general and dye fabric in particular. They suit Thuy's personality, free and unrestrained, not bound by any standards. For Thuy, dyeing fabric is both a passion and a job - requiring Thuy to constantly improve. Whenever she feels overloaded with social media or encounters problems that make her tired and stuck, Thuy always turns to dyeing, it always helps her solve the problem very well.

Which item impresses you or has the most special memories?

Thuy has tried dyeing on many types of clothes, each item is very special to Thuy because she made it herself. But the most impressive thing for me must be when she did her first project Ao: Mo in March 2021. This is Thuy's personal fashion project exhibited at Hai An Gallery.

Fantasy: Fat is a fashion collection inspired by the true stories of three young people about their journey to overcome inferiority complex, body shaming and gender that we can easily find familiarity and empathy in society. Among them, the HEAL collection is dyed from Eucalyptus leaves, dyed in large sizes so it has to be divided into two dyeing sessions. Meanwhile, JOY uses the same industrially dyed fabric and heat transfer printing that Thuy did during her studies in Australia.

 HEAL - Photo by Monkey Minh

 JOY - Photo by Monkey Minh

Thuy, please share a little about your future plans!

Currently, Thuy's biggest goal is to complete her studies in Australia, while she is still researching and practicing dyeing techniques to hone her skills. I will need to prepare a lot of things before launching my personal fashion projects in the future.

Thank you for sharing and thank you very much for supporting TimTay to complete "art" episode 2.

Watch Thuy share about "Dyeing old shirts at home"

Preparation:

- An old item: White shirt.

You can choose any old clothing item, as long as it is made from natural fibers (linen, cotton, silk) with light tones: White, beige, brown, ...

- Coloring materials: Coffee powder, fresh turmeric, beetroot, purple cabbage.

You can choose vegetables that are also easy to find and give good color such as: Butterfly pea flowers, tea grounds, avocado peel, broccoli, ...

- Shirt treatment agent: Alum powder
Pre-dyeing the shirt will give better color for materials of plant origin such as linen, cotton, ... If the material is of animal origin such as silk, wool, ... will not go through the treatment step but still have good color adhesion.

- Catalyst: Rusty nails, vinegar

Process:

1. TREAT THE SHIRT:
- Add 30 grams of alum powder to the boiling pot
- Turn off the stove and drop the shirt in
- Soak the shirt for about 1-2 hours
- Dry the shirt

2. PREPARE THE MATERIALS
- Cut the ingredients you plan to have in the dye palette. Thuy's palette includes: yellow (turmeric), pink (beetroot), purple (purple cabbage), brown (coffee powder)

3. DYE THE SHIRT
- Place the prepared ingredients on the surface of the shirt. You can freely decide where to put them and how many.
- Place 3-5 rusty nails on the shirt (the rustier the nails, the darker the color)
- Finish by spraying a thin layer of vinegar
- Roll the shirt
- Wrap the string tightly

4. STEAM AND DRY
- Place the shirt roll in the steamer for about 3-4 hours
- Take the shirt roll out
- Remove the ingredients and dry

Message from TimTay:
Mental health will be restored if you know how to spend time on small personal pleasures.

Thuy Nguyen wearing: Thông Shirt, Bản Dress

Credit:
Production        TimTay
Videographer    Thanh Tien
Featuring          Thuy Nguyen