How to Dye a Shirt with Tie Dye

Tie-dying is a long-standing pastime of the Hippies, members of the “counterculture” group, and those who simply like colorful clothes. Now you want to do that but the problem is how? Would you tie something? What will you dye? Check out the instructions below to get your questions answered.

Table of Contents

Create different textures

Stripe pattern. Spread the shirt neatly on the table, then roll the shirt from the bottom to the top of the neck so that you have a roll of ao dai. Use a string or elastic band to tie around the roll.

If you only want a few stripes, stretch the space to three segments or less. For more stripes, you can use a dozen or more strings to tie your shirt.
Rolling the shirt from bottom to top creates vertical stripes.
If you want to create a horizontal stripe, you can roll the shirt from left to right (or vice versa) and tie it in that direction.

Spiral pattern. This is the most basic and most common tying technique. To create a spiral pattern, you will first spread the shirt neatly on a flat surface, then place your thumb and index finger in the center of the shirt. Next, move two fingers in a circle, spiraling around the center.

Once you’ve twisted the whole shirt, use a large elastic or string to tie the shirt. You will need to tie the shirt into 6 sections, using at least 3 elastic bands or strings to tie. The shirt, when tied, will have a round shape and seem to be divided into small cakes.
For a more intricate pattern, you can tie more strings, just make sure there is a midpoint and all the twists revolve around that point.
You can create many small spirals by twisting the shirt into smaller sections using the method above.
If the shirt sticks out in small ridges, you should flatten it. The shirt will be spiral but still flat.

Polka dot motifs. Take the shirt you want to dye, grab a small section of fabric with your fingers and tie it up with a string. To create small polka dots, you only need to expose a small part of the fabric about 1.2 to 2.5cm after tying. Large polka dots can be created by tying lower and exposing more of the fabric.

You can create polka dots in a variety of colors by tying a few extra strings to the fabric you’ve already tied. Tie more ropes to make more loops
Try using string that has been dipped in the dye before tying to add a color ring on the outside of the dots.

Floral polka dot pattern. Flower-shaped dots can be spread around the shirt. To create this pattern, first you need a small shirt. Move the grabbed portion to one hand and then grab another nearby piece of fabric. Continue transferring the fabric you have just grasped to the other hand. Once you have a group of small pieces, you will use string or elastic to tie them together.

Use multiple ropes to create a plaid/spiral pattern in a floral dot. You can make lots of flower dots on the shirt if you have room.
Use multiple sections of fabric to create a floral polka dot with more texture. Using only a few pieces of fabric will create a simple flower-shaped dot.

Dyeing clothes

Prepare the implementation area. Tie dyeing or any fabric dyeing process can be messy. To avoid unwanted problems while dyeing, you can spread a piece of plastic on the table (plastic tablecloth or garbage bag) or on furniture or carpet.

You need to prepare enough tools in the performance area so that you don’t have to run around with gloves or worry about spilling anything during the process.
Use a cookie sheet to keep the shirt aloft during the exercise. makes it easy to dye every nook and cranny.
In addition, you need to have a paper towel or old cloth ready to clean up the spilled dye.

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Soak shirt. Many dye packs are available with a sodium carbonate blend to help the dye adhere to the shirt. Dissolve the sodium carbonate mixture in a bowl of water and soak the shirt for about 20 minutes.

If the dye doesn’t have a sodium carbonate mix available, you can soak the shirt in warm water. You can also purchase sodium carbonate separately at craft stores.
Do not use cold or hot water, as the dye won’t set the correct color.
If you don’t want the dye to spread on your shirt, don’t let it get wet before dyeing. Dyeing clothes when wet will make the color spread faster. Therefore, if you want to dye an area separately, you should not let the shirt get wet. ^{[1] X Research Source}

Prepare the dye. Each dye pack has instructions stating the amount and ratio of dye to water. If you want to go wild or don’t have instructions, you can mix as many colors as you like in separate bowls of warm water.

To create pastel or pastel colors, you can use more water and less dye. For bright, vibrant colors, use the entire color pack and don’t add too much water.

Dye shirt. Mix each color in a separate bowl to dip multiple coats or carefully pour the dye into a spray bottle. To do a dip dye operation, you will raise your shirt and dip different sections of fabric into the dye. You can soak the whole shirt in one color and then continue to dip the shirt (after the original color has dried) into another dye. It is easier to use a spray bottle to dye clothes; You just need to spray the color on the place you want to dye, creating multiple layers of color if you want.

If you want to dye multiple layers, remember to dye the lightest color first. Dyeing a light color on top of a dark color will only cause the color to smudge.
If you combine complementary colors – colors located opposite each other in the color wheel palette that when mixed together will have a brown tint. Additional colors include orange and blue, yellow and purple, red and green.
You don’t have to dye the entire shirt. You can dye the tie on some areas and the rest will leave the original shirt color.

Let the dye dry. Wrap the shirt with a plastic bag or food wrap to retain moisture, then let it sit for about 4-6 hours to give the dye time to soak into the fabric. Place the shirt in a warm area to help the dye soak into the shirt faster.

Rinse off the dye. You will put on rubber gloves and remove the shirt from the wrap and remove the strings or elastics that you use to tie. Then, rinse the shirt with cold water to remove excess dye. Be careful while doing this so that the water does not splash out too much, to avoid soiling the clothes you are wearing and the surrounding interior surfaces.

Wash clothes. Put the dyed shirt in the washing machine. Adjust the washing cycle to cold water and wait until the washing process is complete. If desired, you can run the machine again without the clothes inside, but add a little detergent to clean the dye from sticking to the drum.

Wear the shirt when it’s dry. You can put the shirt in the dryer and adjust the machine to the coolest setting or simply let the shirt dry. So you can wear a new shirt to go for a walk! ^{[2] X Research Source}

Dyeing knots for other materials

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Tie dye for cupcakes. Check out a tutorial on how to create a twisty color like the tie dye for cupcakes. You can create a rainbow effect for the dough or give a colorful icing on the cake.

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Create a knot dye effect on paper. This is a great opportunity to experiment with color on paper when crafting and making cards. Use a simple knot dyeing process on plain or solid paper for an interesting effect.

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Create a knotted dye effect on the nails. Your nails will receive many compliments when painted and created a special color effect. Try different methods to create swirls with your favorite paint.

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Create a knot dye effect in photoshop. If you want to create a colorful tie-dyed effect in your graphic design, then learn how to create that effect in Photoshop. In just a few steps, you can add a rainbow colored background to your designs.

Advice

Use a 100% cotton shirt to support the dyeing process. Remember to only wash the shirt after letting the dye soak into the shirt for about a day to prevent the color from fading and sticking to the drum.
Avoid wearing shirts made of synthetic fabrics because this will react differently than regular cotton fabrics.
Add salt to the dye mixture to make the colors appear more vivid.
Wear rubber gloves and an apron so the dye doesn’t get on your skin or clothing.
Do not use boiling or very hot water as this will cause the color to be out of standard.
You can combine different dyes to create a special color.
Whether you use an elastic band or a fabric string to tie your shirt, you must tie it tightly. This will prevent the color from spreading or seeping in.
Young children when performing the knotty dye procedure should have the guidance of an adult.
Wash the shirt before soaking and dyeing, because an unclean shirt affects the reaction of the dye.
When performing the knotting process, be sure to use a clean surface and keep it away from other furniture.

Steps

Create different textures

Dyeing clothes

Dyeing knots for other materials

Advice

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