Exact Answer: Overnight To 24 Hours
Tie-dyeing is a method of dyeing by hand in which colored patterns are produced in the fabric by gathering together many small portions of the cloth and tying them tightly with strings or rubber bands before immersing the cloth in the dyebath. The dye fails to penetrate the tied sections. This results in beautiful and unique patterns on the fabric.
Tie-die can be used to create a wide variety of designs on the fabric ranging from standard patterns such as the spiral, diamond, and the marble effect to beautiful works of art. It can produce almost any design desired. If a modern tie-dye kit is used, then it is easier to accomplish a spiral or a circle using the tie-dye method.
How Long Should You Let Tie Die Sit?
The usual recommendation is to wait from a few hours to overnight, to up to 24 hours.
When tie-dye is left overnight, that is somewhere around 8 hours, the dye can react in a large enough proportion that the resultant color is strong and good-looking. Leaving the tie-die sit for around 10 hours will have a very small difference as compared to 8 hours. However, up to a certain point, which is about 24 hours, one will achieve the maximum reaction from the dye.
After 24 hours, the dye would start to dry out and it will stop reacting. Most of the dye in contact with the cloth will have reacted and the colors will be close to maximum strength. Thus, 24 hours is a relatively safe time to let the tie-dye sit for effective results.
| Colors used in the tie-dyeing process | Duration |
| Dyeing fabric with Fuchsia, Lemon Yellow, Deep Orange | 8 – 12 hours |
| Dyeing fabric with Cobalt Blue, Cerulean Blue, Turquoise | 24 hours |
Why Does It Take So Long For The Tie-Die To Sit?
The first step to completing the tie-dye process is to soak the fabric in the dye for a few hours. The longer they are soaked, the better it is. By letting the fabric soak, one is giving the dyes time to react and stain the cotton fibers. One can put the tie-dyed cloth in a plastic bag if one wants to keep the cloth damp. The cloth must be let to cure for at least 8 hours, but preferably 24 hours for the vibrant and brightest colors.
To get the perfect tie-dye every time, one can follow the following steps. Firstly, one must select the material on which the process is to be performed. Then the dye should be mixed with warm water. One must create the desired tie-dye pattern on the cloth by tying the fabric using strings or rubber bands. After this, the rubber-banded cloth should be soaked in water to prepare it for dyeing. Lastly, the cloth must be left for about 24 hours for the tie-dye to sit.
Also, if the newly tie-dyed cloth is washed incorrectly, the colors might fade significantly. Thus, one must not wash the fabric for at least 24 hours after dyeing it. The longer one waits, the more time the dye will have to set into the fabric.
When one is in a hurry to open up their tie-dye project faster than he should, this can result in colors that look dull and unappealing as they might have not set properly. If the tie-dye is let to sit for a short period, the colors may not turn out bright and strong. Thus, it is essential to let the tie-dye sit overnight or even 24 hours to ensure that the colors are vibrant and lively.
Conclusion
The process of tie-dye consists of folding, twisting, pleating, or crumbling the fabric or garment and binding it with string or rubber bands, followed by the application of various dyes of different colors on the fabric.
One must not let the tie-dye sit for too long as it tends to make patches of extra dark color, leaving spots that might not fit with the rest of the pattern and look out of place. Ideally, one can let the dye sit for about 24 hours to get vibrant and attractive-looking colors on the fabric.