DIY: 5 Tie-Dye techniques in easy steps!

Ever had an unsettling urge to buy that tie-dye T-shirt or hoodie you've seen online? What if you could get that at a very low cost in the colors you want and with the patterns you need to get on the garment? Yes! Tie-dye is an anybody-can-do-it technique for adding aesthetics to your garment. There are different types of tying that give different designs. Follow these easy steps to get your garment popping.

Each technique stated below has its pattern as a result. Pick your favorite and get the dye started!

NOTE: Always use gloves when dealing with dyes.

Spot Technique

Place any object on the fabric and tie it using a rubber band or a thread, cinching them to produce small rings. The area where the binding happens is the area that will resist the die. So place them accordingly.
Dip the fabric into the dye solution (Dye powder + Salt + Water).
Let the dyed fabric rest for a couple of hours to allow the dye to settle.
Wash the fabric in cold running water
Let it dry, and then remove the string, rubber band, or thread. Watch your design unravel!

Spiral Technique

Start by pinching a small section in the center of the fabric. Hold on to that small section while you twist the fabric clockwise.
Keep twisting, keeping your fingers close to the surface of the table so the spiral stays flat. As you twist, the fabric will fold in on itself like a flat roll.
Secure the fabric with 3 or 4 rubber bands, crisscrossing them over the center of the disc.
Dip the fabric into the dye solution (Dye powder + Salt + Water). Let the dyed fabric rest for a couple of hours to allow the dye to settle.
Wash the fabric in cold running water. Let it dry, and then remove the string, rubber band, or thread. Watch your design unravel!

Bullseye Technique

Lay the fabric flat on a table. Pinch a small section at the center of the fabric. (If you want the bullseye to be off-center, choose a small section off-center.)
Pull the pinched fabric up to a point, and smooth the rest of the fabric down to create a skinny cone shape.
Wrap rubber bands around the cone of fabric, starting about an inch below the point of the cone. You can add as many or as few rubber bands as you want.
Dip the fabric into the dye solution (Dye powder + Salt + Water). Let the dyed fabric rest for a couple of hours to allow the dye to settle.
Wash the fabric in cold running water. Let it dry, and then remove the string, rubber band, or thread. Watch your design unravel!

Ruching Technique

The idea behind ruching is to take a piece of fabric, roll it around a length of cord or string, and then gather up the material and tie off the ends.
Dip the fabric into the dye solution (Dye powder + Salt + Water). Let the dyed fabric rest for a couple of hours to allow the dye to settle.
Wash the fabric in cold running water. When washed, the finished design looks like that of snakeskin.

Chevron Technique

Fold the damp fabric in half lengthwise. Fold upward half of the fabric in half as done, aligning along the center fold. Make sure to fold and smooth it over as well.
Carefully flip the fabric over and repeat folding on the other side, creating quarters lengthwise
Use a washable marker to draw evenly spaced lines diagonally across the folded fabric.
Wrap rubber bands tightly around the fabric at each of the diagonal lines.
Dip the fabric into the dye solution (Dye powder + Salt + Water). Let the dyed fabric rest for a couple of hours to allow the dye to settle.
Wash the fabric in cold running water. Let it dry, and then remove the string, rubber band, or thread. Watch your design unravel!

You can always try these at home. The above-mentioned techniques are only 5 of the many existing traditional and modern techniques. It's okay if you don't get it right on your first try. I didn't either. Remember that all these techniques were all born from some kind of disarrangement or mistake. Keep spitballing and experimenting around with tie-dye, who knows, you might create the next viral hit design of the era!

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