In the midst of quarantine, I continue to be bored. I have taken up some new crafts, one being tie-dye. This was one of my favorite activities when I was little, as it is a great way to make a productive craft. Yes, a puzzle is fun, but some call it a waste of time since it has no purpose. With tie-dye, you can turn an old t-shirt into a new one, or even buy a white one like I did to create what is now my new favorite clothing item in my wardrobe.
The first step is to dunk the shirt in water. This will allow for the shirt to easily absorb the dye, but this step is optional. The next step is to tie it up. This can be done two ways, based on how you want the tie-dye to turn out. Demonstrated in the photo below (on the left) is for a spiral result. Get a fork and place it in the middle of the shirt. Twist the fork and the shirt should follow along. Demonstrated in the photo below (on the right) is for a splattered result. Start from the bottom and fold the shirt accordion style.
Next add rubber bands. For the spiral result, they should be placed over the shirt's diameter in two different areas. For the splattered result, they should be placed about three inches apart throughout the entire roll.
Next comes the dye! Cover the shirt in whatever color you want and wherever you want! The more you add, the darker it will end up. Make sure to also flip it over to get both sides. Once the dye is complete, the shirt has to dry for about two hours. If it is left in the sun, it takes about 1 hour. Once it is pretty dry, throw it into the washer and dryer to remove the remaining dye.
This was the final product!
Credits:
All photos by Tori Wilson