Tie-dye is a enjoyable and straightforward craft venture that anybody can do! The rainbow swirls of colour are literally easy to attain and children and adults like to tie-dye to get these enjoyable summer season camp vibes. You possibly can customise your look to make use of a rainbow of hues (or simply your favourite colours) and there are a number of straightforward strategies that offer you completely different cool tie-dye seems to select from.
Simply observe this step-by-step newbie’s information to get your personal tie-dye creation at residence!
Love tie dye? Then you may additionally wish to attempt: Shibori Tie-Dye, Resist Dye Fundamentals, and How you can Double Dip Dye (much like ombre).


Tie-Dye Fundamentals
The historical past of tie-dye dates again 1000’s of years, with proof of comparable strategies present in varied cultures all over the world.
Nevertheless, the fashionable type of tie-dye that’s mostly related to colourful patterns and designs on clothes emerged within the Sixties through the counterculture motion in the US.
The essential concept is you cowl areas of cloth by tying them off with rubber bands. Then, you dye the remainder of the material, probably in a number of colours. The tied-off areas don’t get colour, since they aren’t uncovered to the dye colour.
Tie-dye, like many tasks, is about experimenting and having fun with the method whereas additionally at instances being shocked by the outcomes. If you need a superbly curated look, tie-dye is probably going not the most suitable choice, because it’s meant to look messy, colourful, and enjoyable!
Searching for extra nostalgic crafts? Take a look at How you can Make Friendship Bracelets!


Tie-Dye Provides
- Dye: There are such a lot of dye colours you may select from and you’ll combine and match to make your personal customized colours. To make it straightforward, purchase a tie-dye package like this Tulip package that has your dye all able to go in prefilled bottles. Simply add water and shake!
- Rubber bands: You possibly can both use rubber bands you’ve gotten round the home or purchase a package that has them included.
- Gloves & drop material: This stuff shield your palms and dealing floor from the dye so be certain to make use of them. You need to use dish gloves or plastic gloves and any type of waterproof or plastic sheet will do. A tie-dye package will embody these as effectively.
- Clothes or gadgets to dye: White cotton is finest for tie-dye utility though it’s also possible to dye different pure materials like rayon, silk, linen, or hemp.
- Drip pan (non-compulsory): A plastic sheet is useful for safeguarding your work floor, however it’s additionally very helpful to additionally use a drip pan beneath the merchandise being dyed (one thing like a dish pan or plant saucer will do).
TIP: Other than shirts, you may tie-dye so many various clothes like sweatshirts, t-shirts, socks, bandanas, overalls, and extra!
Do I’ve to make use of a pre-made dye package for my tie-dye colours?
Whereas the all-in-one kits like these Tulip dye kits are tremendous useful to get every thing you want in a single place, it’s also possible to combine your personal colours to your tie-dye creation from dye focus added to water in your personal squirt bottles.
Begin with one tablespoon of liquid dye added to 1 cup heat water in a bottle and shake. Check on a scrap piece of clothes to see if you wish to add extra dye for brighter colour or extra water for a extra delicate colour.


Tie-Dye Garment Preparation
Start by washing the clothes you propose to dye. If they’re stuff you already personal and have washed earlier than, you may skip this step. However something new needs to be washed to take away any residue from the making of the garment.


Tie-Dye Tip: For the perfect colour adhesion, soak your gadgets in soda ash blended into water for 20 minutes earlier than tie-dying. Whereas this step is non-compulsory, it’s going to assist make the colours in your tie-dye creation the brightest they are often.


How you can Tie-Dye




Prep your workspace: Put down your protecting material over your work floor and get your dye bottles prepared together with your chosen colours (these kits merely add water to the bottles and shake).
Dampen shirt: A barely moist shirt will unfold out the dye higher than a completely dry shirt, so totally moist your merchandise after which wring it out totally so it’s simply damp.




Band and Dye shirt: Fold or swirl your shirt primarily based on the design you need (take a look at our sample choices under!), add your rubber bands to maintain in place, and add your dye.
Flip the shirt over and repeat on the opposite aspect attempting to maintain the identical colours in comparable spots.
REMEMBER! The extra that a number of colours overlap, the larger probability you’ve gotten of getting muddied or brown colours in your tie-dye creation!
Attempt to hold colours that don’t make a fairly colour collectively additional aside however have enjoyable bleeding colours that sit subsequent to one another on the colour chart.
(So two colours that sit subsequent to one another on the rainbow, like blue and purple, will probably be fairly in the event that they bleed collectively, however two colours that don’t, like inexperienced and orange, will make a brown).




Seal for twenty-four hours: Whilst you can unveil your creation after about 6 hours, the perfect colours will come in the event you place it in a ziplock bag (to maintain the dye from drying out) and go away it there for twenty-four hours.




Rinse and wash shirt: Take away your shirt from the bag, take off the bands, and rinse in a sink or tub with chilly water till the water runs clear (you’ll need gloves for this step as effectively). Wash in chilly water with a small quantity of detergent within the washer, and add an additional rinse cycle if that’s an possibility in your washer (wash other than different laundry for the primary wash). Dry and put on proudly!


Tie-Dye Patterns
Whereas there are such a lot of choices in relation to tie-dye patterns, listed here are 4 traditional strategies to attain completely different cool tie-dye seems to your private creation.












Spiral Tie-Dye
This traditional tie-dye form is gorgeous and straightforward to attain!
Twist: Begin together with your shirt flat on the work floor. Pinch a small part within the heart of your garment or stick a wood dowel or cooking utensil finish into the center of the shirt. Twist the material round this level and hold twisting till the entire garment turns into a spherical disc. It ought to appear to be a cinnamon roll!
Safe: Safe the shirt with no less than 4 or 5 rubber bands, crisscrossing them over the middle of the disc. The tighter you bind the shirt, the extra white there will probably be.
Dye and end! If you dye, add colour to completely different wedge sections on the disc (it’s also possible to do a unique colour in every part created by the rubber bands). Repeat the colour on again, add to your plastic bag, wait, rinse and wash to unveil your creation!












Bullseye Tie-Dye
The Bullseye sample is a good possibility for rookies.
Pinch: Pinch a bit of cloth in the midst of the garment. Pull the material up the entire method off the ground, creating a cloth cone.
Safe: Wrap rubber bands across the cone of cloth, including a band at every spot the place you wish to change colours. You possibly can add as many or as few rubber bands as you need.
Dye and end! If you go to dye, add a unique colour to every part between the rubber bands. Repeat the colour on again, add to your plastic bag, wait, rinse and wash to unveil your creation!












Stripes Tie-Dye
The Stripe sample is a enjoyable and straightforward method to get a cool graphic look.
Fold: Lay the garment flat. Ranging from the left or backside aspect, fold the shirt in a sequence of small accordion-style folds. For those who begin folding from the left aspect you’ll create vertical traces, and in the event you begin from the underside you’ll create horizontal traces.
Safe: Zig zag the accordion folded shirt right into a “Z” form with the folds going through up. Wrap the folded shirt with rubber bands to safe.
Dye and end! If you go to dye, add colour to every part (between rubber bands). Repeat the colour on again, add to your plastic bag, wait, rinse and wash to unveil your creation!












Scrunch Tie-Dye
This Scrunch tie-dye sample offers you an natural marbled look that’s one other classically cool tie-dye look.
Scrunch: Lay your garment flat. Pinch a sequence of small sections and pull them up a bit to create small mountain shapes.
Safe: Proceed till the entire shirt is scrunched into mini mountains and safe the entire shirt with overlapping rubber bands.
Dye and end! If you go to dye, add colour to completely different areas and check out your finest to duplicate the colour placement on the again of the banded shirt as effectively. Add dyed shirt to your plastic bag, wait, rinse and wash to unveil your creation!


Regularly Requested Questions
Ought to material be moist once you tie-dye?
It doesn’t need to be, however the dye will unfold and take extra simply if barely damp (it’s additionally a greater technique to attain extra pastel colours). Dry material will normally lead to an general brighter colour and you may additionally find yourself with extra pure white areas since they dye doesn’t unfold as far.
How lengthy ought to tie-dye soak earlier than rinsing?
For traditional tie-dye, 4-6 hours is an effective minimal, however you may permit the dye to set for nearer to 24 hours for extra intense colours.
What’s the finest material to tie-dye?
White or gentle coloured 100% cotton is the preferred selection for newbie tie-dye utility though it’s also possible to dye different pure materials like rayon, silk, linen, or hemp.
Polyester and cotton mix shirts received’t maintain the colour almost as effectively, so discover an possibility that doesn’t embody polyester.
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Get the How-To
Step-by-step directions for the perfect provides and traditional tie dye patterns for rookies.
Directions
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Start by washing the clothes you propose to dye in the event that they’ve by no means been washed.*
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Combine your dyes based on the bundle directions.
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Cowl your space with a drop material to guard it from any dye spills and put on disposable gloves as you’re employed to guard your palms.
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Scrunch up or fold your merchandise as desired to your sample after which add rubber bands to safe.
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Add dye to the ready material in your chosen colour sample till the highest is saturated. Flip over and repeat on the opposite aspect.
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Add your dyed material to a sealed off plastic bag (or twist a plastic grocery bag closed) and let it sit for 6-24 hours. The longer the higher for colour saturation.
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Take away from bag and rinse your garment within the bathtub or kitchen sink till the water runs clear (put on gloves once more for this step).
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Wash the tie-dye merchandise (or gadgets) within the washer on chilly individually from different laundry and dry or as you usually would.
Notes
- If the clothes you might be dyeing are stuff you already personal and have washed earlier than, you may skip washing them.
- A plastic sheet is useful for safeguarding your work floor, however it’s additionally very helpful to additionally use a drip pan beneath the merchandise being dyed (one thing like a dish pan or plant saucer will do).
- You may also add an additional rinse cycle to your washer when washing the garments for the primary time in the event you machine has that setting to ensure any additional dye is rinsed out.
*Non-compulsory however you may soak in soda ash if you’d like for 20 minutes for higher colour adhesion.