{"id":5225,"date":"2024-04-29T16:03:36","date_gmt":"2024-04-29T16:03:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.wordans.com\/blog\/?p=5225"},"modified":"2024-09-10T07:56:45","modified_gmt":"2024-09-10T07:56:45","slug":"how-to-make-rainbow-tiedye-tshirts","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.wordans.com\/blog\/how-to-make-rainbow-tiedye-tshirts\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Make Rainbow Tie-Dye T-Shirts"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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Tie-dye is one of history\u2019s most popular clothing designs<\/a>, and it\u2019s back. If this is news to you then you\u2019ve not been paying attention. Do a quick search of \u2018Celebrities wearing tie-dye’ and you\u2019ll find everyone from Jennifer Lopez to Jack Black sporting their 60\u2019s throwbacks. To celebrate, we decided to make our own.<\/p>

I was pretty excited, having not made tie-dye shirts since I was about nine. To make the whole process more worthwhile, we\u2019ve used our experience to make a step-by-step guide to tie dyeing. We\u2019d hoped our personal experience would contribute by showing you how to do it perfectly, but what we actually did was discover all the mistakes you might make. At least now we can tell you how to avoid them. So read on to learn exactly how to make, and how not<\/em> to make, tie-dye t-shirts.\u00a0<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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1. Choose Your Design<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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I went into my tie-dye session with an open mind. Modern tie-dye clothing is much more subtle than the classic rainbow tie-dye we associate with the 60s. Usually only one or two colors are used, they\u2019re softer. Crumple patterns (random blotches of color) are now more common than the famous spiral.\u00a0<\/p>

So my first thought was to do something understated like that, and then I went in completely the opposite direction. I figured I might only do this once, so I might as well make a really cool rainbow tie-dye t-shirt, with a big spiral on it.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

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Here we see the importance of planning. My sudden change of heart was only possible because there was a big group of us, and we\u2019d bought all the colors of the rainbow. Decide on your design beforehand so you can get the right colors, and anything besides rubber bands that you need for your resists (the things that stop the ink getting to certain places).\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

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2. Get Everything You Need<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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First step is to get some white t-shirts. Natural materials work best, as the dye doesn\u2019t bind well with synthetic fibers. Silk and rayon are fine, but cotton is the classic. A bit of polyester isn\u2019t a problem, but ideally you want 100% cotton. Perfectionists should get a couple per person, so you can get the second right if you mess up the first. If the t-shirts are brand new, it\u2019s often worth washing them first\u2013 that sheen you sometimes get on new clothes can affect the dyeing process.<\/p>

You need dye of course. Think about what colors you\u2019ll want, and it helps to have them in squeezy bottles. You need dyes that work well on cotton t-shirts, they’re called fiber-reactive\u2013 Procion dyes are the industry standard. Check the instructions on the dye, but you should just need to mix it with warm water.\u00a0 You should also have soda ash to help the color hold.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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To make your resists, the classic technique is to use rubber bands, but there are other things you can use. A wooden stick is helpful for making spirals, and you can tie small pebbles or seeds into the shirt to make other effects.\u00a0<\/p>

To stop the dye getting everywhere it shouldn\u2019t, get plastic sheets, rubber gloves, and zip-lock bags to leave the t-shirts in. Have some cleaning supplies to hand just in case.\u00a0<\/p>

Checklist:\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>