|

DIY Ice Dye Tablecloth

Ever wonder how to get the most beautiful watercolor look to fabric? See how we made this DIY Ice Dye Tablecloth.

ice dye tablecloth

Our latest ice dye project is this gorgeous DIY Ice Dye Tablecloth. We just love how the colors almost bleed into each other to create new colors. If you haven’t ice dyed fabric before, below are some tips on the process. 

ice melting dye

What is ice dyeing?

Ice Dyeing is a method of fabric dyeing using ice, (pre-treated) fabric and fabric dye. Natural fabrics like cotton, linen, wool, and silk will work the best.

The fabric is washed and kept damp. Fabric can be pre-treated with salt, vinegar or soda ash (depending on fabric and dye that you use). Then ice is placed onto of bunched fabric and powder dye is applied to ice.

The melting ice gives the watercolor effect. This happens as the ice melts over the fabric completely.

ice dye tablecloth

What happens if I use multiple colors of dye?

When using multiple colors of powdered dye, the dye can bleed or blend into each other showing different colors. Even if you only use one color of powdered dye, you can get hints of other colors that make up that one color. It is truly fascinating! 

For this project we used the Dharma Trading fiber reactive dyes.

What kind of fabric to use for ice dyeing

Cotton works the best! The natural fibers allow the dye to attach and set. You can also use linen, wool and silk. 

Can you use liquid dye for ice dyeing? 

No! Liquid dye does not work for ice dyeing. The powder dye is the best! The powder melts with the ice and creates stunning patterns. 

outdoor tablescape

How to set ice dye

We recommend using soda ash on the fabric first. Soda ash, also called as sodium carbonate is used with fiber-reactive dyes to give the natural fabric brighter results. You will want to wear gloves when handling the fabric with soda ash wash. 

Ice Dyeing Supplies

Dharma Trading fiber reactive dyes (we used indigo blue, amber waves, olive and powder pink)

Ice

Drying rack or chicken wire and bin

Soda Ash

Our favorite white tablecloths

Crate & Barrel

Etsy

Target

Amazon

ice dye tablecloth

How to make an Ice Dye Tablecloth

You can find the step by step tutorial over on hunker.com or check out our other ice dye projects below.

More DIY  Ice Dye Projects you can make

DIY Ice Dye Tote Bag – take a natural fiber tote and create a one of a kind bag using the ice dye method! 

DIY Ice Dye Hoodie – one of our first ice dyeing projects… we can’t stop making these! 

DIY Ice Dye Cloth Napkins– these are so simple and so cute! They would make a wonderful gift, don’t you think?

 

 

 

 

 

Similar Posts

One Comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *