FAQ
Your questions answered
Everything people ask before a session, an event or their first dash at home. Don’t see your question? Ask me.
Sessions
Booking a session
Dash-dyeing is the dye method we developed at More Joy Studio. You wet a piece of natural-fiber clothing, sprinkle activated dye powder onto it and mist it with soda ash and water so the color travels and blooms. There’s no soaking, folding or tying, and you decide in the moment where the color goes. See how it works.
None at all. I show you the technique, then step back while you play. Most pieces take just a few minutes, and there are no mistakes, only discoveries.
For one person: a Personal Dye Session ($50, 1 hour, 3 items dyed), a Color Revival Session ($150, 3 hours, color analysis, closet edit, 6 pieces and 10 styled images) or a Design Consult ($20, credited toward your order). For groups, see the next section or What to Expect.
Pick a time on the Book a Session page. You can pay online when you book or at your session.
Sessions are held at my home studio at 849 Eleanor St. NE in Grand Rapids, Michigan. For groups, I can also come to you. Directions are on The Studio page.
Always. I’m an autistic practitioner, and I build sessions the way I’d want them built for me: there are moments throughout to pause, switch colors or stop. Nothing is locked in until you say so.
Yes. Tell me what you need before your session: lower lights, no music, breaks, fewer color choices or a support person. There’s no performance and no small talk required.
Dyeing
Fabric, care and safety
Natural-fiber pieces: cotton, rayon, linen or hemp. Old shirts, thrifted finds and stained favorites are perfect. Polyester won’t take the dye. More in Choosing Fabrics to Dash Dye.
Blanks are available at the studio: t-shirts are $10, bandanas are $5 and good-quality donated whites are $10, plus $10 per item dashed.
Clothes you can move in and don’t mind getting a little color on. Gloves and aprons are provided.
Keep it bagged somewhere warm for at least 4 hours, or overnight for richer color. Rinse in cool water until it runs mostly clear, then wash warm, alone or with dark colors, the first few times. Every step is on How to Dash Dye.
No. Fiber-reactive dye forms a permanent bond with plant fibers. The color softens gently over many washes, like all well-loved clothing, but it stays.
Yes, with simple precautions: wear a dust mask when handling dry powder, wear gloves and keep dye away from food. I provide gloves, aprons and masks at every session. Safety data sheets are on Dharma Trading’s Safety Data Sheets page.
Yes, and it’s one of my favorite things to do. Stains disappear into the pattern. Read Embracing Stains as Places for Transformation.
Groups
Friends, families, and teams
There are three: a Friends & Family Dye Session in my studio for up to six people ($50, includes 3 items, extra pieces $10); Host an Event at your place, where each guest pays $10 per item after a $50 setup; or a Special Event, where you cover the setup and the first 10 items (from $150). Read more for friends, families, businesses and educators.
With Host an Event, each guest pays for the pieces they dye. With a Special Event, you treat your people: you cover the first 10 items, can provide shirts printed with your logo, and can add a talk, color analysis or complimentary color swatches. Add-ons are quoted with your event.
Groups of any size rotate through in small batches. At Hobby Hop, I took 80 people through a bandana in about ten minutes each.
Yes. I’m based in Grand Rapids and bring the studio to homes, offices, festivals and classrooms across West Michigan. Ask about your location when you reach out.
Yes. Friends & Family sessions are made for mixed ages, and gloves and aprons are provided. Kids do best with a grown-up nearby.
Yes. I offer an hour-long, interactive talk on joy and color, like The Action of Joy. It can stand alone or open a dye session.
Shop
Shopping and custom work
They’re Procion MX fiber-reactive dyes from Dharma Trading Co., pre-mixed with soda ash so there’s no pre-soak. Each one has its own color, temperature and season. Shop all 150.
Wet your piece, sprinkle the dye, mist it, bag it for 4 hours or overnight, then rinse and wash. The full guide is on How to Dash Dye, and every dye page includes the steps.
A square scarf of silky 100% rayon challis with an eyelash fringe, dash-dyed by hand. You can tie it as a halter, a cowl-neck top, a shawl and more. See Three Ways to Tie a Wild Rag.
The pieces I sew and cut myself are designed with fewer seams, no sewn-in tags and no buttons, zippers or unnecessary logos, in soft, flowing fabric. Necklaces close with magnetic clasps. Many are a single generous piece of fabric you wrap, drape or tie, so you choose how closely it touches you. Each product page lists its Sensory details, only the ones that are true for that piece. More on The Look.
I can’t promise that, and I don’t make health claims. Every body experiences fabric and color differently. Making and wearing these pieces changed how I feel in my own body, and I share the practice in case it helps you understand yours. Only you know what you need more of.
My handmade and cut-to-order pieces have no sewn-in tags; fabric and care details live on the product page. Second-hand and store-bought pieces I dye keep their original labels, and you’re welcome to snip them.
Yes: sewn garments, made-to-measure capsules, ceremonial and liturgical textiles, costumes and performance pieces. Start with a Design Consult ($20, credited toward your order).
Yes. Workwear Revival is part of a Special Event: I bleach, dash-dye and return your crew’s retired uniforms in a palette we build together, in my studio or live at your site.
See the Refund Policy.