How to Make Cool Tie Dye Designs

Twist, fold or stitch fabric to make cool designs.

Make a T-shirt or other garment stand out by creating a cool tie-dye pattern. The manner in which you fold the shirt or stitch around the shirt determines the type of design you'll end up with. For example, if you fold a shirt vertically, you will get horizontal stripes. If you twist the shirt into a tube and wrap rubber bands around it, you will get a series of rings. If you are handy with a needle and thread, try stitching a design into the fabric before dying.

Things You'll Need

• T-shirt or other cotton fabric to be dyed
• Water
• Rubber bands
• Fabric marker
• Needle
• Polyester or nylon thread
• Soda ash
• Measuring cup
• Large bucket
• Cold water fiber reactive dye
• Plastic or glass containers
• Squirt bottles (optional)
• Protective mask, eye wear and rubber gloves
• Plastic bags (optional)

Instructions

Stripes and Spirals

1. Soak the fabric or T-shirt in cold water. Wring the fabric out. It should be damp but not dripping.

2. Lay the fabric flat on a table and smooth out any wrinkles.

3. Fold the fabric into vertical pleats to make horizontal stripes. Fold the fabric into horizontal pleats to make vertical stripes. To make chevron stripes, fold half the fabric on an angle toward the center, then fold the other half of the fabric on an opposite angle toward the center. Secure the fabric with rubber bands.

4. Create a series of circles or rings by picking up the fabric and shaping it into a tube. Wrap rubber bands around the tube of fabric, spacing them about an inch or two apart, depending on how wide you want the circles to be.

5. Make spirals by pinching a portion of the fabric where you want the center of the spiral to be. Twist the fabric into a tube shape, then twist it around itself to form a flat disc that looks like a flattened conch shell or lollipop. Wrap rubber bands around the disc.

Stitch Designs

1. Choose a design to stitch into the fabric. For example, you can stitch a heart or create a wood grain design.

2. Draw the design on the fabric. If you're making a heart, fold the fabric in half and draw half a heart. The fold of the fabric will become the center of the heart. You can also leave the fabric unfolded and draw an entire heart.

3. Thread the needle. Use a long-running stitch and trace along the drawn lines. Leave tails of thread on the end so that you can pull the thread when finished stitching.

4. Pull the tails of thread tightly to gather the fabric around the stitches.

Dye the Fabric

1. Fill a bucket with 1/2 gallon of water and mix in 1/2 cup of soda ash. Soak the tied or stitched fabric in the soda ash water.

2. Pour 1/2 cup plain water into a container or squirt bottle. Use 1/2 cup of water for each color you plan on using.

3. Dissolve 1/2 teaspoon dye in each 1/2 cup of water. Wear eye protection and a mask when doing this. You don't want to inhale the dye particles.

4. Dip the fabric into the dye in the containers or squirt the dye directly onto the fabric. Wear rubber gloves to avoid staining your hands. Let the dyed fabric sit in the containers overnight or place in a plastic bag.

5. Rinse the fabric under clean, cool water the next day until the water runs clear.

References

• Disney: Family Fun; Crafts: Tie-Dyed T-shirts
• All About Hand Dyeing; Hand Dyeing - How to Do It; Paula Burch
• All About Hand Dyeing; FAQ: How Do You Tie-Dye a Spiral Pattern?; Paula Burch