How to tie dye an old white shirt!

Step 14: No white cotton garment will ever be safe again!

Once you have the tie dye bug, life will never be the same.  Your family members may become paranoid and start hiding their cotton underwear.  They may become "very afraid" if you to take any white cotton bed sheets and bath towels to be transformed!  They don't call me the "Tie-dye Queen" for nothing!

Comments

[ANTQNUT]

I LOVE TIE DYE!!!!! Great instructable, all the tie dye looks beautiful! I love it! it will completely pull off my seventies look I've been going for . hah I like your username!

[JoseAAV]

dude I don't wanna be annoying but its the 60`s the 60`s were the hippie ones

[ANTQNUT]

dude I don't wanna be annoying but when someone screws up it's not your problem so let it be.

[JoseAAV]

ok dude sorry peace lets not turn this into a flame war

[ANTQNUT]

ok dude

[stinkymum]

tie dye has never gone out of style, you can still buy them today!

[Mehehehful]

 so true. 

[shannon di]

I have a really ugly quilt that my 9 year old daughter and I would really like to use the back of to tye dye, due to it is hand made and extremely comfy, it does hold kool aid stains amazingly well, lol, and i believe that it is cotton, it is a queen size quilt, how do you recommend i go about doing such a large task, especially since i have no idea what i am doing, but i do follow direction extremely well. PLEASE HELP US, thank you for your time. I would love to show the final product.

[stinkymum]

this would be a very difficult task.    I would do a spiral fold - it will be enormous!    It will take a lot of dye and you would have to put the finished circle into a large plastic bag.  Lay the quilt flat and begin spiralling from the middle and hope for the best - then put the dye on as shown in this instructable.  The largest thing I have ever done has been a full sized white cotton sheet, which is thinner than a quilt.   I have also done a shower curtain or two.   I really don't recommend you do this, but that's up to you.

[sumbrero]

ooooooooooo THAT IS SO AWESOME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! =P

[bustedit]

hi, mom. very pretty. do you have any tips on other tying methods? i like the design of the shirts in the 1st pic of step 14, the mirror image half spiral.

[stinkymum]

This is the lightning fold, although it is best done in stronger colours like black, green and orange.

[stinkymum]

For the mirror image half spiral fold

Fold the shirt in half, sleeve to sleeve
take a dowel rod and choose a point at the edge of the lower part of the shirt below the sleeve (the corner or just above). turn the dowel rod clockwise until you have formed a "pie" shape and then follow the instructions for banding and putting on the dye as for the rainbow spiral. If you turn counter clockwise you will get a different pattern entirely. There are other ties also. I found one called the lightning fold on line which I rather like.
http://www.instructables.com/id/How-to-do-the-lightning-fold-when-bleaching-old-bl/

I did it when I bleached a black shirt, but it works well on a white cottine shirt. When you put the dye on you will put it on in stripes across the bands.

Here's a web site that shows some different ways to fold
http://www.pburch.net/dyeing/FAQ/mandalafold.shtml

[Mom777]

What will happen if I don't use soda ash? Do I apply the rubberbands the same way, if I am only using one color?

[stinkymum]

If you don't use soda ash to soak the shirts, the dye will not bond as well with the cotton. You can tie the rubber bands the same way with one colour. You will get your colour and white.

[matt5295]

haha just a little Tye Dye Crazy! .... it looks good though, I think Ill try it; Thanks

[soeinegaudi]

loveley !! 5*

[peanut5o5]

i am so impressed! the shirts came out great! ive never tie dyed before but once i try, i will definatly have the bug!

[beuebelle]

Hey there I was just wondering if you have ever tried to tie dye mens underwear. See, it's my friends birthday and he has been wanted rainbow underwear and I can't find them, so I have decided I will tie dye some, however, I don't know the best way to go about it. Do you think it would be as easy as tie dying a t-shirt? Any suggestions?

[stinkymum]

yes I have tie dyed underwear, If you do the spiral fold starting with the center over to one side, that works quite nicely. You don't have to fold the underwear in half at all. go for it!