I’d be happy to share.
I’ve recently been exchanging email with someone; perhaps that’s you, but in case not and in case anyone else wants to know, I’ll reprint my part of the exchange:
Howdy!
I’d be happy to share what I do; thanks for asking.
I don’t remember the post but I assume it was on the SDMB.
Basically, I do it like a regular tie dye, but I use Createx fabric paint instead of die.
I tie my shirts or scarves or whatever, then I use hair dye applicator bottles to apply the dye to the fabric. I just make stripes (often of varying widths) with the dye on the folded/tied fabric. Then I let them dry completely before I untie them; this can take a while depending on your climate. I live in Las Vegas and it still takes 24-30 hours for the shirts to dry completely. This is important because if you untie them while any paint is still wet, it can run.
After I untie, I just iron the shit outta them. I put a 3 or 4 pieces of newspaper on my ironing board, then I put another 3-4 on top of the shirt and I iron every square inch on a good hot setting. You don’t want to burn the newspaper, but you want it as hot as you can go otherwise. You have to iron every little bit or it won’t stay colorfast.
After that, just wash them so they aren’t stiff and uncomfortable. I have 15 year old shirts that look exactly like they did when I made them.
I’ve had excellent luck with Createx fabric paint on cotton, nylon, cotton-poly blends and silk. Especially cotton and silk. I’ve made scarves and things that look better than anything I’ve seen in a store.
For the applicator bottles, I just use a bit of paint and add water, then shake it up real good so it mixes evenly; if you don’t a paint glob will clog the nozzle. Nozzle can be really fine or fairly wide; I prefer to use fine ones and then just spend more time making my stripes, since that gives me more control over their widths.
I hope that helps you; if you remember please send me a pic or two of your results.
And of course, if I missed something or you have more questions, feel free to ask.
Good luck!
I forgot to mention that with the small 2 oz. bottles I’ll get up to 6 really good applicator bottles full, so figure something like 1/6 or even ⅛ of the Createx bottle + water until the applicator bottle is full. It needs to be thoroughly diluted so the paint will soak thru the cloth, but not so diluted that the color lightens. You’ll figure out how to get a deep color without a big ol’ gloopy mess coming out of the bottle.
I get the hair dye applicator bottles at Sally Beauty Supply; they’re cheap and plentiful.
Oh, and the big advantage is that clean up is a snap; just takes water. As long as the paint hasn’t been heat-treated, it’s just tempura.
by the way, it may not have been clear, but I use the airbrush fabric paint
the Wicked Colors are new, but should work as well