How to Make Tie Dye Clothing

A fun craft and a good activity to do with children is to make tie-dye clothing. Tie-dying is simple, easy and allows you to alter the look of any piece of clothing, whether a shirt, skirt, pants, socks, underwear or any other fabric. Typically a rainbow spiral pattern is a great way to start learning how to tie-dye and understand how the colors travel through the folded fabric.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Clothing, 100 percent cotton
• Spray bottle
• Rubber bands
• Pie pan or large plastic pan
• Plastic gloves
• Various colors of dye
• Sink or outdoor water hose

1. Spray your clothing with water to make it damp on the front and back. The item should not be dripping wet or have dry patches. Spread the item out on a clean, flat surface and spread the fabric evenly according to the seam lines of the garment.

2. Pinch the fabric in the center between your thumb and forefinger and hold it tightly. Begin to twist the fabric into a spiral, never letting go of the center portion except to readjust your hand. As the edges of the material come closer to the spiral use your other hand to push them in along the sides.

3. Place one rubber band around the outer edges of the clothing to hold the edges in place. Pull the next rubber band under the bottom and over the top of the shirt and center it so the band runs across the center of the spiral. Add two more rubber bands, making sure they are centered to create what looks like pie pieces on the spiral.

4. Set the spiral into a disposable pie pan or other type of deep pan that is not used for food preparation. Mix your dyes following the manufacturer's instructions while wearing gloves to protect your skin.

5. Apply a different color of dye to each pie piece of the clothing. Often working in order of the colors of the rainbow is good for beginners, or you can choose to only use two or three colors and have them repeat once.

6. Flip the item over and apply more dye as necessary if any colors look like they didn't come all the way through to the back.

7. Let the clothes sit undisturbed for the period of time specified on the dye packaging.

8. Rinse the excess dye away from the item as you remove the rubber bands. Let the shirt dry or wash immediately before drying depending on the manufacturer's instructions.

Tips & Warnings

• Practice using different sets of colors and other tying techniques to experiment with the various affects you can achieve when tie-dyeing clothing. You'll typically find that even if the dyes don't go your way, you'll still like the end result. For dyes with long wait times before rinsing, it's best to set the clothing into a plastic grocery bag and tie it shut. This will keep anything from getting stained by accident and avoids the clothing drying out.
• Follow the instructions of your dye on the packaging carefully. While some dyes recommend leaving the item to sit for two to four hours, others suggest days for the fabric to saturate fully.

References

• Tie dye information

Resources

• Different ways to tie your clothes