Tie dye has been around for as long as people have been putting colour onto cloth. People have built businesses out of tie dye for as long as they have been making garments commercially. This ancient craft can still build a successful cottage industry today.
It usually begins quite naturally. An entrepreneur decides to make garments for sale to try to make an independent living. Obviously, such an independent thinker might also want to embellish such garments to set them apart in some way to give them a competitive selling edge in the market, so they go out and buy some dye to experiment with.
The entrepreneur goes home and experiments with a few old clothes, the dye and some string. It is fun and the vibrant results are exciting. When the entrepreneur shows the samples to their friends for a second opinion, the feedback is positive. Of course the next step is to make some actual stock to try to sell to the public.
The public are usually so enchanted by the vivid colour that the product moves and the entrepreneur has to make more goods.
The cycle begins. In this way, a cottage industry is born.
Even accumulating the equipment needed is not difficult.
Running water is a must.
Any heat-source will do; an open fire, gas bottle, stove or microwave oven will all do the job.
Empty plastic containers of every description will hold dye. Small butter dishes are useful for dyeing children's garments, while large buckets are needed to dye décor items such as duvet covers.
Add a space to work, a drain and an adventurous spirit, and anybody can be self-employed in a short time, for minimum outlay.
