How to Tie a Shirt to Spray Paint

Tying your shirt before spray painting produces interesting patterns.

Tie-dyeing a shirt the traditional way using water and dye takes time and may cause a mess. You can make a tie-dyed shirt without the mess or the wait using fabric spray paint. The paint sets in minutes and you can use various tying methods to get interesting patterns. After you tie the shirt, you simply spray the fabric paint onto the shirt. You can use more than one paint color and let the different colors interact to produce unexpected results.

Things You'll Need

• Shirt
• Marbles
• Rubber bands

Instructions

Marble Technique

1. Lay the shirt flat so that the side you want to paint is facing you.

2. Place a marble underneath any part of the back of the shirt.

3. Wrap the marble from the front with the shirt material and twist.

4. Tie a rubber band around the shirt material gathered under the marble.

5. Repeat the process with other parts of the shirt.

Pinching Technique

1. Lay the shirt flat so that the side you want to paint is facing you.

2. Pinch any part of the side of the shirt facing you with your thumb and forefinger and twist.

3. Repeat the pinching and twisting all over the shirt.

Swirling Technique

1. Lay the shirt on a flat surface with the side you want to paint facing you.

2. Place your hand on the middle part of the shirt.

3. Press your hand on the fabric and twist the material to create a large swirl.

Tips & Warnings

• Wash the shirt before painting to remove any residues on the material and to minimize fading.

References

• DIY Fashion: Easy DIY Tie-Dye T-Shirts
• Family Fun: Marbled Tie With Spray-Bottle Dye
• Joann: Cool Green and Yellow Tie Dye T-Shirt