About Tempe Tie Dye
Based in Tempe, AZ, Tempe Tie Dye is a new art shop that will be selling handmade clothing using batik, tie-dye, and ice-dye techniques. Each piece is unique, and made either individually or in small batches.
Much of my batik work is inspired by the beauty of the Sonoran Desert.
I plan on selling my work at art fairs and online. I’ll provide details when possible.
What is batik?
Batik is a traditional dyeing technique, developed in Indonesia. It is made by drawing on fabric with melted wax, and then dying the clothing. The wax prevents the dye from reaching parts of the shirt, which leaves a negative pattern when the fabric is cleaned an the wax is removed. Fabric can be dyed many times, allowing the different layers of colors to merge together.
Some waxes crack when bent. These cracks allow dyes to seep in, producing spiderweb-like lines. I’ve always found these lines to be what makes batik so distinct, so they are what I lean into during dying.
What is ice dye?
Ice dye is a newer method of dying. The process starts the same as tie dying: soak fabric in a soda ash solution, then tie it into an interesting shape. But then, instead of covering it in liquid dye, the fabric is covered in ice and dye powder (the same dye that is used for tie dying).
As the ice melts, the dye spreads throughout the fabric in interesting ways. In particular, if a dye is composed of multiple different dyes, then the color will split into different colors.
