There is a lot that we do not realize about tie-dye, for example it has a lot to deal with chemistry. Tie-dye is a method of producing textile patterns by tying parts of fabric  to shield it from the dye.

“Soaking the shirts in soda ASH (commercially manufactured Anhydrous Sodium Carbonate.) first raises the pH of the fabric so that more ions ( particles that have an electrical charge) are present and then more covalent bonds (an attraction between the electrons and protons) can happen between the dye and the cellulose fibers of the shirt. The dyes absorb various wavelengths of light, reflecting the colors we see in the dye,” Chemistry teacher, Cheryl Paricio said.

There are a lot of designs that students can do for any article of clothing. For instance, there could be random circles, a “V” shape, spirals, peace signs, and  arbitrary designs that have nothing to do with each other as explained in an article by Jennifer Garcia (creativebug).

“I like that I get to see my students’ creative side! They relax and chat and I get the benefit of seeing the creation of over 100 different designs”  Mrs. Paricio said.

Students will often think that chemistry is one of the hardest subjects in school, and they wouldn’t want to have to take it. A lot of people believe that chemistry is a difficult subject because it involves higher order thinking skills, requires practice, and is abstract as stated in an article by Reflection of a Science Teacher.

“This is a great advertisement to the rest of the student body about the fun of chemistry in action!,” Mrs. Paricio said.