Tie & Dye (Different Techniques)

 

Tie & dye is a craft that has been practiced for centuries to create attractive and eye-catching fabrics & clothes. Most of the apparel companies briskly sell a large amount of tie and dye T-shirts, sheets, towels, and other items. Today tie & dye is also practiced as a popular DIY activity for making vibrantly patterned clothes at home. Creating unique designs and colorful patterns is an easy and enjoyable activity and at the same time, you get so many new outfits to choose from. Let us look into different tie & dye techniques for you to apply on your next set of white T-shirts or fabrics.

Some Tips Before Starting

Follow the below-mentioned tips for a better tie & dye experience and result.

Give proper attention to folding and bundling of fabrics. These folds are the main reason for the creation of different designs during the dyeing process. For bigger patterns, make the folds wider and for creating smaller patterns keep the folds narrow. For creating angular and striped patterns, crease and fold the fabric. For spirals and rounder patterns, crumble, scrunch and twist the fabric. For tying and binding the fabrics use tight rubber bands. Loose bands may enable seepage of dye through folds, creating undesired diffused lines. For color combinations, it is better to use basic colors only. They are red, blue and yellow. Combining secondary colors like green and purple, orange and green, and purple and orange may produce muddy brown colors.  

Different Tie & Dye Techniques

1. Sunburst Tie & Dye Technique

Lay the fabric or the cloth you want to dye flat on a surface. Fold the fabric in half, first width wise and then lengthwise.Now pinch the fabric and pull upwards to create small cone shapes of around 1 to 2 inches in height.  Tie the cone fabrics with a rubber band and repeat till required sunbursts are created. Apply the dye or combination of dyes to the fabric and at the top of the cones.Allow the dye to develop. Wash, rinse, and dry preferably in the shade. Your fabric or garment is ready for use now.

2. Crumple Tie & Dye Technique

 

Lay the fabric or the cloth flat on a surface.Scrunch the fabric and make it into a crumpled mound.Tie several rubber bands tightly around this mound. Apply the dye to this mound.Flip over and repeat the process for the backside of the garment.Allow the dye to develop.Wash, rinse, and dry preferably in the shade. Your fabric or garment is ready for use now.

3. Spiral Tie & Dye Technique

Lay the fabric or the cloth flat on a surface.Pinch and twist the fabric or garment from the center in a circular motion.Stop when the cloth gets a spiral shape. Wrap the spiral-shaped garment with 3 rubber bands in a rough star-shaped formation.Apply the dye to the cloth.Flip over and repeat the process for the backside of the garment. Allow the dye to develop. Wash, rinse, and dry preferably in the shade. Your fabric or garment is ready for use now.

4. Bullseye Tie & Dye Technique

Lay the fabric or garment flat on a surface. Pinch the fabric from the center. Pull the garment straight and fully upward into a cone shape. Tie rubber bands 1 inch apart to this cone-shaped garment. Apply different colors of dye to each section thus created by rubber bands. Secure with rubber bands.Flip over and repeat the process for the backside of the garment.Allow the dye to develop.Wash, rinse, and dry preferably in the shade. Your fabric or garment is ready for use now.

5. Striped Tie & Dye Technique

Lay the fabric or garment flat on a surface.Fold the fabric into ‘accordion fold’ from the bottom. Accordion fold means to fold the garment into pleats like the keys of the musical instrument ‘accordion’. Tie the cloth at regular intervals with rubber bands. Apply different colors of dye to each section thus created by rubber bands. Flip over and repeat the process for the backside of the garment. Allow the dye to develop. Wash, rinse, and dry preferably in the shade. Your fabric or garment is ready for use now.

6. Box Pattern Tie Dye Technique

Lay the fabric or garment flat on a surface.Fold the fabric into ‘accordion fold’ from the bottom. Accordion fold means to fold the garment into pleats like the keys of the musical instrument ‘accordion’. Make the folds wide, around 3 to 4 inches in length. The garment will assume a long striped shape now. Turn the garment vertically and fold the bottom edge up to turn the fabric in a square shape. Repeat the accordion fold until a dense square shape is formed. Tie securely with rubber bands. Apply the dye to the garment. Flip over and repeat the process for the backside of the garment. Allow the dye to develop.  Wash, rinse, and dry preferably in the shade. Your fabric or garment is ready for use now.

7. Folded Tie & Dye Technique

Lay the fabric or garment flat on a surface. Now fold it in half again and then repeat the process.  Garment assumes a rectangular shape. Further fold the garment into three parts.  Apply dye to the outer folded edges of the cloth, then use a different dye to color to the center and the four corners.  Flip over and repeat the process for the backside of the garment. Allow the dye to develop. Wash, rinse, and dry preferably in the shade. Your fabric or garment is ready for use now.

8. Shibori Tie & Dye Technique

Shibori is one of the unique and different tie & dye techniques initially practiced by the Japanese for centuries and still popular today. 

Lay the fabric or garment flat on a surface. Roll the fabric or garment around a hollow tube or pipe.  Squeeze and scrunch the ends of the fabric towards the middle. Secure tightly with rubber bands. Apply the dye to the garment while rotating the tube until the garment is soaked in color.  Allow the dye to develop. Wash, rinse, and dry preferably in the shade. Your fabric or garment is ready for use now.

9. Ombre Dip Dye Technique

It is a useful technique to make those gorgeous ombre t-shirts and casual shirts too. You need not tie and fold the garment but can do so to create thin stripes if you want to. 

Prepare dye solution in a tub. Dip the lower end of the garment into the bucket. Dye will slowly get absorbed into the garment creating the ombre pattern. For creating a 2 tone ombre design, dip the upper part of the garment into a different color of dye. Allow the dye to develop. Wash, rinse, and dry preferably in the shade. Your fabric or garment is ready for use now.

10. Diamond Pattern Folded Tie & Dye Technique

Lay the fabric or garment flat on a surface. Fold the fabric into ‘accordion fold’ from the bottom. Accordion fold means to fold the garment into pleats like the keys of the musical instrument ‘accordion’.  The garment will assume a long striped shape now. Pick the garment vertically and fold the bottom edge up at right angles to turn the fabric in a triangular shape. Repeat the accordion fold and form the garment into a dense triangle.  Secure tightly with rubber bands. Apply the dye to the garment. Flip over and repeat the process for the backside of the garment. Allow the dye to develop. Wash, rinse, and dry preferably in the shade. Your fabric or garment is ready for use now.

 

You can also check our Instagram Post in which we have explained "How To Tie & Dye"

 

Conclusion

So, these are some of the different tie & dye techniques you can apply to create vibrant and colorful combinations of clothes for everyday wear and party use.