Tie-dye was popularized by the hippies in the 1960s, but today this distinct design is worn by people of all ages. The unmistakable pattern can be achieved with various dyes. But the easiest and perhaps cleanest method is using permanent markers as the dye and applying rubbing alcohol to the cloth, spreading the marker around and forcing the colors to bleed into each other.
Gather your garment and bundle it into 1- to 1 1/2-inch sections, securing each section with a rubber band. If you're tie-dyeing a sock or bandana, you can simple wrap the rubber bands up and down the length of the cloth. But if you're tie-dyeing something larger, such as a T-shirt, you're going to want to tie-dye one portion at a time. Tie off a 7- to 10-inch section of the T-shirt with the rubber bands and start with that.
2
Use two to four markers to color the segments you've created. There's no specific design; just try your best to fill in the white areas with color. Don't use any more than four colors per garment, or your design could come out looking more blurry than tie dyed.
3
Fill a spray bottle with rubbing alcohol. Lightly spray the colored area and set it aside for 20 minutes to dry. Again, if you're dyeing something larger, such as a T-shirt, it's best to do this in sections. So let the first section dry, then go back and repeat Steps 1 and 2 until you've dyed the entire garment.
4
Toss your garment into the dryer when it's finished air drying to set the colors. When washing it from now on, use cold water in the washer and tumble dry.
Tips & Warnings
Try tie-dyeing something small and inexpensive to get your bearings before you try taking on a larger project.
Wear clothes you don't mind getting messy when tie-dyeing with permanent marker and rubbing alcohol. The permanent markers shouldn't cause a problem, but if the ink gets on your clothes it's hard to get out.
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