Tie-dye is an iconic craft that has been around for decades. Spiral patterns are the first thing that comes to mind when people think of “tie-dye”. The bold and beautiful swirl is an eye-catching design that makes fabrics truly unique.

The process of making the beautiful spiral patterns, although it seems complex, is surprisingly easy when done using the right materials and in the right way. This article will be your crash course showing you how to best fold the spirals, how to apply the dye, and how to experiment with different dyes.

You cannot just use any dye for this project because different dyes interact with fabric in various ways. The best type of dye to use, especially on cotton fabrics, is a fiber-reactive dye. It produces bold and bright colors because it chemically bonds with the fabric.

This also makes it resistant to fading and bleeding even after several washes. Lastly, you won’t need boiling water to activate it, unlike other dyes, which require room-temperature water. Some great brands in the market I would recommend are the Tulip One-Step Tie-Dye Kit, Jacquard Procion MX, or Rit Dye.

You can dye any fabric using tie and dye, as long as they are big enough to fold in a spiral. However, you will have the best results with natural fiber fabrics such as cotton and rayon, because they chemically bond with the dyes. Flat items like shirts and hoodies, shirts, sweatshirts or tote bags work great because they get the full spiral pattern.

Now that you have all the materials and tools ready, let’s get into the project.

As with most projects, the prep part is very important. It is more critical in this project because tie and dye can be a very damaging and messy process. Wherever the ink lands, it dyes, and the damage might be permanent. To prevent many such scenarios, I recommend working from outside. But if you are working from inside, you need to be in a well-ventilated and well-lit room.

Gather all the supplies and put on your safety gear. To protect your surfaces from getting stained by the dyes, cover everything with paper towels. Then, put paper towels under the wire rack to collect any spilling dye.

If you don’t have an apron, wear clothes you wouldn’t mind the dye getting on, because sometimes the spills are uncontrollable. Also, remember to put on your gloves before handling any dyes. In case you accidentally stain your hands, don’t worry, it fades over time. But to remove it faster, you can rub it using a baking soda paste or white vinegar.

Next is your garment. Sometimes new fabrics come layered with chemicals to prevent them from wrinkling or are generally dirty. Thoroughly wash your fabric beforehand to remove any contaminants. Don’t add any softeners or laundry enhancers because they are chemicals that equally contaminate the process.

Soak the fabric in water for a few minutes. Making a solution with soda ash will help the dyes bond with the fabric better. After a few minutes, remove it from the water and wring it out, taking out as much water as you can. If you are using a kit, the soda ash might already be premixed in the solution, so check the package instructions. You should leave the fabric damp, but it should not be leaking any water.

Lay out your damp fabric on a flat surface and point out your central position (this could be anywhere you want it to be). Just remember that the further away your central position is, the harder it will be to secure the spiral using rubber bands.

Pinch the mid-part with your fingers, about an inch apart, and use the fork to hold it down. Split the fabric between the two halves of the fork’s tongs and spin the fork while holding down the fabric to make the spiral tight.

Keep turning until the entire fabric has wound around the fork to create natural folds that are about the same size. Now that you have a uniform disk, secure it using the rubber bands or string, while making sure not to disrupt the pattern. The fork should still be pinching the midpart and should only be removed when the rubber bands are on.

Divide the fabric into pie-shaped sections and hold them down with rubber bands or strong strings. The more sections you have in your design, the more intricate the pattern will be. Remember, when tying the bands, that they should only be there to hold the spirals together, but not too tight to squish the shirt and ruin the spiral.

Some dyes come with package instructions for mixing, while others don’t. Most dye kits only require that you add water to the mixture. Remember that the color intensity greatly depends on the dye concentration.

Pour the dye powder into an empty squeeze bottle, fill it halfway with warm water, and shake to dissolve. Then, let it sit for full dissolution, and check for consistency later on.

This is one of the parts in the project where your gloves should stay on.

On to the fun part: the application process.

Place the fabric on the wire rack and apply the dye to each section of the shirt using the squeeze bottles. Fill each section with a different color while being careful not to let them bleed into each other. For single-colored designs, only apply the dye to the exposed area, with only a few squints of dye in between some pleats and folds. However, it is up to you to decide how you want to place the colors, but remember that placing them side by side will create a seamless pattern blend.

Once you are done applying the dye on one side, turn the fabric over and repeat the same process on the backside.

Place the dyed fabric in a plastic Ziplock bag or wrap it in a plastic bag, completely sealing it. Then, let it sit overnight, or up to 48 hours, in a warm room for the dye to set fully. If you want a more pastel look, you can open it up earlier. but if you want brilliant colors, you need to wait longer.

Get your gloves back on for this finishing part. Remove the dyed fabric from the plastic wrapping and rinse it under running water until the water running from the shirt is clear. This helps remove the excess dye without the colors bleeding into each other.

You can now unbundle it as the water is still running with occasional squeezes until the water is clear again. Then you can wash it using mild detergents to remove any residual dye that didn’t come off during the rinse.

Once it is clean and dry, iron the fabric at the recommended temperature, and the dye is set and ready to go.

The classic rainbow is everyone’s favourite, but do not be afraid to experiment with different colors to create unique designs. Remember the color wheel from elementary school? You can use it to check for complementary colors.

Warm colors such as red, yellow, and orange look good with other warm colors. Cool colors such as green, purple, and blue also look great together. To find colors that look good together, think of the rainbow, and place the colors that are closer to each other together.

For a simple design, play around with a monochromatic or a single color on your spiral. To make interesting designs, mix up different colors.

Fold the fabric in a spiral and divide it into sections. Choose two complementary colors and put them in different squeeze bottles. Start by applying the first dye in every other section in part, then fill the remaining parts with the second dye.

Divide the twisted fabric into six equal segments and tie them down using rubber bands. Pick three complementary or contrasting colors according to your liking. Apply the first color in part of all the sections, and fill the remaining parts alternately with the second and third colors until every section is covered.