Remember, this is tie-dye and no matter what you do, it will look great! You can also experiment with how you place the dye on the shirt to make different patterns. You don’t have to fold or scrunch it a certain way to make a cool t-shirt. You can combine gathering techniques or start off-center instead in the middle. Place four or five rubber bands around the bundle to hold it all in place. Keeping the fabric flat, gather and twist it in a circular motion in one place until the fabric is in a circular bundle around your fingers. Lay the shirt flat on a table and hold the fabric in the center of the shirt. Place rubber bands around the shirt to hold it in place. The shirt will have several folds and be in a long line. Slide them on the table in a diagonal line towards the opposite shoulder sleeve. Place your thumbs under one bottom corner. Gather it as before and hold it with rubber bands. If you want the mirror to be top and bottom, fold the bottom of the shirt up to the neck (or the other way). Fold the shirt from right to left so one arm lays on the other. Fold it in half longways if you want the design to mirror from side to side. (You can make horizontal stripes by gathering the shirt from side to side instead of top to bottom.) Place three or four rubber bands around the scrunched shirt to hold it in place. When you reach the other end, the shirt will have several folds. Keep the shirt straight and scrunch it together. Slide your thumbs on the table, gathering the shirt in your fingers as you do. Place your thumbs under the shirt at the neckline (or the hemline). NOTE: This step can be done by the participants at home later in the day if that’s doable.įor vertical stripes, lay the shirt face up flat on the table. Allow 20-30 minutes to unwrap all of the shirts and to get them into the wash. The freshly dyed shirts need to be wrapped in newspaper and sealed in a plastic bag.

You don’t want to work too quickly as you squeeze the dye onto the fabric. Allow 10-15 minutes to tie the shirts and 20 minutes per shirt for dyeing. The shirts need to soak for 60-90 minutes in the dye fixer solution. Give yourself 20-30 minutes to prepare the mixtures and the dyes. This activity will take two days to complete.

Here’s a great, time-tested kit you can get right from Steve Spangler Science. You may have even researched them but your search is over. There are many tie-day kits available at craft stores today. Along with a sixties revival, tie-dye is making a comeback! Actually, this activity is not a fashion statement, it’s a science experiment, art project, and summer activity rolled into one.

Dying light household supplies