Start tie-dye
Fold a plain cotton shirt, wrap it in rubber bands, add dye and wait. Untie it the next day and the pattern is a surprise every time. Here's the video that hooks everyone, and everything you need for your first spiral bandana.
Space neededA table outside or a covered floor
First projectA bandana, plus an overnight wait
Skill levelVery beginner-friendly
Good forFamilies, groups, summer afternoons
The video that hooks everyone
Tie-dyeing a black and blue shibori-style T-shirt
A short tutorial on dyeing a T-shirt in black and blue with a shibori-style folding technique: the shirt is folded, bound with rubber bands and dipped in dye. Press play and see why it hooks people.
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Tool list
What you need to start
Everything you need for your first project, and nothing you don't. A kit with dye, bottles and gloves covers most of it.
Starter kit
01Tie-dye kit, fiber reactive dye3 to 5 colors, with squeeze bottles and gloves.
02Soda ashHelps the dye bond to cotton. Many kits include it.
03100% cotton bandanas and a white T-shirtCotton takes the dye. Polyester doesn't.
04Rubber bandsA bag of strong ones. String works too.
05Extra nitrile glovesDye stains skin for days.
06Plastic table coverOr opened trash bags, taped down.
07A bucketFor soaking. Keep it for dye only.
08A wire rack and a trayHolds the bundle up out of the drips.
09Zip-top bagsThe dyed bundle waits in one overnight.
10Dust maskFor mixing dye powder.
The manual tells you what to look for when you buy each one.
- 1Using fabric that isn't cottonFiber reactive dye bonds with cotton and other plant fibers. Polyester and blends come out pale or barely change. Check the label: 100% cotton.
- 2Putting opposite colors side by sideWhere red meets green, or purple meets yellow, the colors mix into brown. Put neighbors on the color wheel next to each other.
- 3Rinsing too soonThe dye needs time to bond. Let the bundle sit as long as your kit says, usually overnight, before you rinse.
