Totally Loving These Tangerine Tango Jeans!

Tangerine Tango is hot, hot, HOT!  It's Pantone's 2012 Color of the Year and we've been loving this fiery shade in much of our color-blocking looks. It can add just a flash of bright color to update an outfit or can be worn as a real all-over, bold fashion statement. However you wear it, it's sure to bring a vibrant air to your wardrobe. 

See how designers, Charlotte Ronson, Tommy Hilfiger, Peter Som, and Derek Lam have interpreted this simmering shade into their fashion lines this season. Looking good, right? Well, we've created a dye recipe for you to DIY this Tangerine dream. It's custom color #98 in our ColoRit Color Formula Guide and it's an easy recipe of equal parts Sunshine Orange and Tangerine dyes. 

And... to make it even more interesting here's some of our fave shades to match with Tangerine Tango. 

• #567 Phlox (purple palette)
• Lemon Yellow (Yellow 2 palette)
• #582 Deep Emerald (Green 1 palette)
• Fuchsia (pink palette)
• #564 Regatta (blue palette)

OK, ready to go? Here's the tutorial:

SUPPLIES:

• Rit Liquid Dye:  Tangerine & Sunshine Orange
• White Jeans, 100% Cotton 
• 4-Cup Measuring Cup & Measuring Spoons
• Spoon for stirring dye
• 4-Gallon Container for Dyeing 
• Fabric Scrap for testing dye color
• Salt
• Dishwashing Liquid
• Rubber Gloves
• Paper Towels
• Plastic Table Cover

INSTRUCTIONS:

1.  Prewash jeans to remove any finishes that may interfere with dye absorption.

2.  How Much Dye to Use:  Weigh the dry jeans using a food scale.  These jeans weighed 16 ounces.  As a guideline, ½ cup (half bottle) of liquid dye will color up to 16 ounces of dry weight fabric.

Tangerine Tango is custom color #98 in the ColoRit Color Formula Guide.  This recipe will color 1 ounce of dry weight fabric.  Since the jeans weighed 16 ounces, I multiplied the amount of dye needed for 1 ounce of fabric by 16.  The new recipe is listed below.  If you are dyeing a larger item, you will need more dye and more water.

3. Preparing Dyebath:  Wearing rubber gloves, shake dye bottles.  Then measure and mix the following and stir well.

Tangerine Tango #98 Recipe

• ⅓ cup Tangerine
• ⅓ cup Sunshine Orange
• 1 cup Salt
• 2 cups Hot Water

4.  Fill dishpan or bucket with 3 gallons very hot tap water (140° F).  Note:  If water is not hot enough, heat some water in a tea kettle or in the microwave. 

6.  Wet jeans in warm water and squeeze out excess water.

7.  Immerse jeans in dye bath and stir continuously for 20 minutes, then occasionally for 10 minutes or until desired color is achieved.  The longer the jeans remain in the dye bath, the darker the color will be. (Color will appear lighter when dry.)  Stirring helps to ensure an even color.

8.  Remove jeans from dye bath and squeeze out excess dye.  Rinse in cold running water until water runs clear.  Then wash jeans in warm water with mild detergent, rinse, dry and iron.