DIY: Tie-dye stockings / Halloween Zombie stockings

DIY Tie-dye Zombie Stockings

A few weeks ago, my friends and I had a Crafternoon party where we fiddled with food dye and stockings. Our plan was to make ombre stockings and tie-dye stockings. The ombre stockings didn't turn out great, but the tie-dye stockings turned out AMAZING. Well, at least in my opinion. So here's the how-to! 

Materials:
Nude nylon stockings
Food dyes and various colours (my advice is to get primary colours and then mix these colours to create more colours!)
Vinegar
A pot of boiling water
Gloves (if you don't want to end up with funky fingertips like I did)
Rubber bands

Steps:

1. Twist your stockings lengthwise until you end up with a ball-like mess. Secure the ball-like mess with a rubber band. Or you could think up more interesting ways to twist your stockings for a more unique tie-dye look. 

2. Add vinegar to your pot of boiling water. This helps to ensure that your stockings remain colourfast. I didn't follow a formula for the ratio of water to vinegar. To me, this is creative craft, not a science experiment. 

3. Bring the water down to a simmer.

4. Add the desired coloured dye(s) into your pot of boiling water. (P.S.: It is highly recommended that you mix 2 different colours if you want the tie-dye effect like the one I have done. My friends and I started out with a pot of pink dye, then added blue to create purple. I popped my stockings into the pot of purple dye thinking that it would only give a purple tie-dye effect. But woah, surprise surprise! It turned out with an amazing diffused red and blue look.)

5. Leave the stockings in the pot for about 5 minutes (or longer if you want more colours to seep into the twisted bits). Sing a song while the stockings simmer in the pot. Alternatively, you can chant "Double, double toil and trouble. Fire burn, and cauldron bubble."

6. Remove the stockings from the pot. Let it cool off for a bit, unravel it, then rinse it with water until the water runs clear.

Drying out our products

7. Lay it out to dry.

8. Wear it with pride.

Like a zombie

That's how simple it is! Honestly, I can't guarantee the same results, but do let me know how your stockings turn out if you do end up trying this.

x g