Some Tie Dye That I Did.

Thank you everyone for the great compliments. It's good to see that some people still enjoy a good tie dye.

I'll link a video of how to tie one of these designs, but let me explain a little bit about tie dye and what I've learned. Every now and again you will run across a subject that has limited "how to" information posted on the internet. Tie die is one of these. Most of the basics are readily available, but there is limited information on any of the high end techniques or designs. Tie dyers are HECKA stingy with their trade secrets. Mainly tying patterns.

I personally cracked the tie patters myself by studying tie dye images, and a little bit of trial and error. Once it all clicked in my mind what was going on, it became easy to tie. The reason I'm only showing one tie patterns is due to the work that went into making the first video lol. I can get a bit lazy at times. I would love to show a couple more but don't have the energy at the moment.

Since some people are interested in fooling around and trying to make some tie dye now. Ill give the basic info from my point of view. I suck at teaching rofl.

1. Best common material is 100% economy muslin from Michael's, Joann's, Walmart, or Internet. Rayon and Silk can also be used with great results. If you go to the craft store, make sure you get a 40% off a single item coupon. They are all over the net.

2. You MUST pre-soak the material in a soda ash solution for at least 15 minutes. Most advnaced techniques require the fabric to be tied, soaked, and then fully dried. This could take 2-7 days, so plan accordingly. YOU MUST SOAK IN SODA ASH.

3. Best common dye is Procion MX Fiber reactive dye. There are a few other good brands of fiber reactive dyes though.

4. I give no information on mixing or applying dyes hehe. There is good info out there but if you really need help just ask, Ill do my best.

5. After the dying is done. You need to wrap the entire thing in saran wrap. Keeping it moist for at least 24 hours. After it sits for a day. Rinse the excess dye out in the sink, wear gloves or your hands will get trashed.

6. I like to use rubber bands to tie with.

7. These are the two best websites for information and materials. P Burch and Dharma Trading


If someone is really interested. I will do my best to elaborate about any step in a reply if needed.

Here is the video of how to tie a Sunburst I think its called. There are two parts.



Applying the dye can vary from basic to tricky, and tricky doesn't always look better then basic. If you want to talk more about applying the dye let me know.

If you see a pattern that looks impossible to tie, that is because it is. Take for instance this alien face. I drew half of it on the shirt first, and then stitched it with a sewing needle and fishing line. To get a pattern that precise, you have to stitch it.

I also figured this out on my own. I new there was no way there where tying this crap. Took about a day of thought, but I figured it out. This is actually my first try lol.

Edit: Shirts are bit harder to make intricate designs on. There is not allot of material to work with.

reply to post by JimboSliceLV


Thanks so much for these GREAT vids! I would love to know some basics about how and where to apply the dye.

Fantastic! What dyes are you using?

Originally posted by yamammasamonkey
Fantastic! What dyes are you using?

Procion MX fiber reactive dye.

I've been watching some videos from the links you gave, and I think I have a pretty good idea of where and how to do the dying, so disregard my last post, unless you WANT to give more info, which I would LOVE.

I'm so excited about this. Can't wait to see what I come up with.

My first "practice attempts" at doing shirts. I bought a cheap kit to give it a try. I have a small mandala tapestry curing right now that I will look at tomorrow. The t-shirt fabric is too thick to do intricate folds in... so I just opted for some basic designs.





And my favorite...

reply to post by Benevolent Heretic

Ah yes, very nice. That last one is a nice one! The shirts can get hard to fold at times. There is less fabric to work with and it is usually thicker then economy muslin. I hope the other one turns out nice. I want to see it.

OK. I'm hooked! This is from a little "Tulip" kit I got from Walmart. I can't wait to get the real dye, soda ash, etc... This pic was taken outside, so the colors are a little washed out by the brightness. It looks better inside.

Jimbo, do I HAVE to wash this? I rinsed it thoroughly and it's not going to be worn or washed, as I'm keeping it. I noticed some color came out of the t-shirts during washing and I'd like to keep this as bright as it is.

reply to post by Benevolent Heretic


Oh damn!!. Somebody is getting good. Nice job, I really like it.

You don't have to wash it, but if you don't. There is a chance it will bleed on other stuff one day by accident. I had a couple that I only rinsed out and didn't wash. It got wet at a festival and a little bit of ink ran onto some other stuff, but it wasn't a big deal. Washing it will dull the colors a tiny bit, but its not mandatory. I have washed some of mine many times and they still are bright.

reply to post by JimboSliceLV


These are beautiful and so vibrant! Thank you for sharing. I love the "fractal" feel that I get from these, and they are so cleanly dyed - something that is rare to see. Bookmarking this thread for future reference. Going to try this with some batik ideas I have and see what happens.

I just wanted to add some pics of recent projects... I'm having so much fun!







This will be a skirt and I'll make a matching top...

Sorry - Just posting to make this appear in MyATS. I tried the subscribe button, but it doesn't add it back into MyATS.