Learn three ways to make a DIY tie-dye t-shirt, including the spiral, stripes and crumple patterns. Print this step by step guide to make it easy to follow along with this fun activity.
Prep Time15 minutesmins
Cook Time30 minutesmins
Resting Time1 dayd
Total Time1 dayd45 minutesmins
Course: Crafts + DIY
Cuisine: Kids
Servings: 6Shirts
Author: Chrystal Johnson
Equipment
1 gallon size freezer bag per shirt
1 pair of gloves for each person
1 Plastic tablecloth
Plastic Wrap
Paper towels
Wire rack
Sharpie marker
Ingredients
1White T-Shirtper person
6Rubber bandsper shirt
Dye solution in various colors
Empty dye bottles
Instructions
Wash your new shirts in a simple laundry detergent without fabric softener or dryer sheets. Gather your clean shirts and supplies and set them up on a work station outdoors.
Choose the tie dye pattern for your shirt: Spiral, Stripes or Crumple. Only follow the instructions for your chosen design.
Fold Shirt.
Spiral Design: Pinch the fabric in the center of the shirt and twist it into a spiral pattern.
Stripes Design: Pleat your entire t-shirt lengthwise.
Crumple Design: Crumple the shirt into a flat shape.
Tie Shirt with Rubber Bands.
Spiral Design: Make pie-shaped sections with the rubber bands.
Stripes Design: Create sections on the shirt with the rubber bands.
Crumple Design: Use the rubber bands to hold your shirt in its shape.
Dye Your Tee on a Wire Rack.
Spiral Design: Dye each section with a different color, saturating the shirt with a good amount of dye in the folds so there aren’t too many white spots. Color both sides of the shirt.
Stripes Design: Color each section of the shirt, one by one, until all sections are dyed around all sides.
The best way to keep the dye on the striped shirts from bleeding is to individually wrap each one with plastic wrap.
Crumple Design. Sprinkle dye across your tee. Make sure it’s well saturated... we go for a splotchy look. Color both sides of the shirt.
Place each tie dyed shirt into its own sealed plastic bag to keep the dye wet while the colors permeate the fabric. For best results, I recommend waiting a full 24 hours before proceeding.
While wearing gloves, give the shirts a good wash in running water in the sink to remove excess dye. Rinse until the water runs clear.
Wash the rinsed shirts in hot water on the largest load setting possible to further set the dye.
Once they’re washed and dried, you can wear your new tie-dye shirt.