How to Tie Dye

Tie dyeing can liven up a plain shirt as part of a fun project for the entire family. There are many tie dye variations available, and none of them will strain you wallet. Follow these steps to give a garment new life through tie dyeing.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Fabric (at least 60% cotton)
• Rubber bands
• Protective gloves
• Tarp or garbage bags
• Clothes pin

1. Wash the fabric to remove any residues or manufacturing chemicals.

2. Fold and tie the fabric as desired.

3. Lay down protective barriers on your dyeing surface. Tarps or garbage bags work well. Rubber, latex or vinyl gloves will protect your hands from staining.

4. Pre-treat the fabric as required by instructions that come with the dye.

5. Dip your fabric into the dye. If you're using multiple colors, use the lightest one first and rinse between colors. The same fabric can be re-tied and re-dipped to make another pattern.

Tips & Warnings

• To make a spiral pattern, decide where you want the center to be and clip it with a cloths pin. Then twist the fabric. It will form rolls as you twist. Use your hand to keep these rolls about the same size.
• If you can't find the exact color you want, try mixing different dyes.
• Squirt bottles dye can be sprayed on to get a more distinct separation of colors.
• To create a consistent, lightly colored background, push the fabric firmly into the bottom of the dye. This will force the fabric to soak up a small amount of the dye all over instead of leaving white patches.