Cool Tie-Dye Styles

Use several colors of dye to create cool tye dye styles.

Tie-dyeing is a coloring technique used to dye clothing items, such as T-shirts, dresses and other garments. Because of its psychedelic colors and “trippy” designs, tye dye shirts are often associated with hippie culture. In order to tye dye a piece of clothing you must first tie it in several sections to crease the material. When the cloth is dipped into various colored dyes, the creased portions remain lighter which creates a designed effect. Using various tying methods it is possible to create a wide range of tye dye styles such as a peace sign, hearts, circles or even rosettes.

Peace Sign

If your motto is “peace and love,” use this technique to dye your clothing so it has a peace sign insignia on it. To create this design, fold your fabric in half and draw half of a circle on the fabric with a marker, then draw a diagonal line from the fold toward the bottom of the circle. Accordion fold the shirt from the top of the circle, working your way toward the bottom and secure the fabric with an elastic. Flip the material over and bring the top of the circle down to meet the elastic. Add a second elastic to hold it in place. Separate the bunch at the end into two sections and secure each with an elastic.

Hearts

To create hearts on a piece of material, fold the fabric in half and use a marker to draw a half heart shape on the fold line. Accordion-fold the material along the heart shape until you have a straight line of fabric. Attach an elastic around the folded material where the outline of the heart is visible. To create a second outline for the heart, attach a second elastic band parallel to the first.

Circles

Circles are a common but visually appealing tie-dye effect that is easy to achieve. Pick up the material where you want the center of your circle to be and allow it to fall to create a draped, cone shape. Hold the material up with one hand and use the other to create even pleats running down the material. Then, use string or elastics to secure the base of the material. Use string and wrap it up toward the top of the cone shape and back down to create a spiral effect.

Rosettes

Draw small dots on the material where you want your rosettes to be placed. Pick up the material where one dot is placed and then transfer the material to the other hand. Continue picking up all the dots on the material until you have them gathered in one bunch. Use a string or elastic band to secure the base of the bunch of fabric.

References

• Pro Chemical: Learn Folding Techniques
• How to Tie Dye Dot Net: Camouflage Peace Sign Tie Dye T-Shirt
• Paula E. Birch: How to Tie Dye a Heart Shape