Itajime Shibori Tights Go Tangerine Tango!

Step 2:

1. Starting with pre-washed nylon tights, fold in half lengthwise so one leg lays on top of the other. Then fold the legs in a accordion fashion all the way to the hip. The folds should be bit bigger than your discs. I used 3" discs and folded every 3½". Try to make your folds as even as possible because this is what's creating the spacing of the circle pattern. Position one plexiglass disc on either side of the folded tights.

Step 3:

2. Find a clamp that will hold very tight and can fit the thickness of the folded tight legs sandwiched between the two discs. Clamp this tightly.

Note: You can use wood shapes as resist too. Just make sure that they're not too thin as I've found that thin wood can warp in a hot dye bath and distort your pattern.

Step 4:

3. Grab the rubber gloves and get dyeing! Shake, measure and mix 2 Tbls Tangerine dye + 2 Tbls Sunshine Orange dye in 1 gallon of very hot, 140˚ water. These are nylon tights, make sure not to use boiling water as it can damage the nylon fiber.

4. Stir well. Immerse the clamped tights into the dye bath. Using your mixing spoon try to open the folds a bit to allow the dye to reach the areas inside the folds. You want the dye to flow right up to but not under the circled area to create a distinct pattern. Move the whole clamped tights unit in the dye bath to make sure there is even coverage of the dye. The tights should be in the dye bath for about 10 minutes.

Note: Depending on the size of the clamp you may need a larger dye bath to make sure the tights and clamp all immerse properly.

5. Remove the clamps and rinse in cool water until the water runs clear. Then wash with mild detergent in warm water and hang dry.