Over 17 tie-dye patterns and folding techniques (2023)

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Learn how to use it to create beautiful and unique tie-dye patternssimple tie-dye folding techniquesand step-by-step photos. I show you how to make all kinds of tie-dye designs including theKnettechnik, Öspiral pattern, it's attarget drawing.

Also, I share all the essential tips and tricks you need to know to get beautiful vibrant colors and cool designs with every tie dye tie.

About Tie Dye

Tie-dye is a popular textile dyeing technique known for its bright, saturated colors and bold patterns. It's one of those nostalgic, happy crafts that never seem to go out of style.

Tie-dye is easy to do too! To dye a shirt, fold the fabric and secure with string or elastics. Then apply the paint by dipping the shirts in paint pails or squirting liquid paint from squeeze bottles.

To learn more about theTie Dye Basics, including how to prepare, tie, dye and wash dyed clothes, read my article here:like tie color.

You can create many different patterns by folding and tying the fabric in different ways. The folds, elastics and loops resist the ink and prevent it from soaking the fabric evenly. Any part of the fabric that is not dyed turns white, creating the design.

Simple tie-dye folding techniques

In this article I will teach you how to tie some of the mostpopular tie-dye patternslike the kneading or kneading technique, the rainbow swirl pattern, shibori-inspired designs, and more. Here's a list of the tie-dye patterns we're going to cover.

1. Spiral
2. looknight
3. Goal
4. glittering
5. horizontal stripes
6. diagonal stripes
7. vertical stripes
8. box folds
9. triangle folds
10. Mandala also known as Kaleidoscope
11. Herz
12. rainbow
13. Splits
14. Ombré-Tauchfarbe
15. Socks - stripes
16. Socks - spiral
17. Socks - Knead
18. coloring ice(Bonus!)

Click on the links to jump to a specific design. Or read on for all tie-dye designsEasy-to-follow instructions and step-by-step photos.

How to tie for beginners

Before we begin, let's quickly review theTie Dye Basics.

1. Set up your workspace and prepare your materials.
2. Mix up your dyes. If necessary, pre-soak your garment in a sodium carbonate solution.
3. Fold and tie your clothes. (Read more about this below!)
4. Apply the color.
5. Allow the dye to develop.
6. Rinse, wash and dry. Now your outfit is ready to wear!

Tie-dye is a fairly easy DIY project, but there are a few tricks you need to know to get the best results. For a detailed tutorial on tie-dye, check out my tutorial here:How to bind dyes.

Best Tie Dye Supplies

Good quality accessories can mean the difference between a bright, colorful design and a faded, dull design that will wash out in the first wash.

dye

The best type of dye for tie-dye projects isfiber-reactive dyes. This type of dye, often referred to as Procion MX dye, is much brighter, longer lasting, and easier to use than other general purpose dyes. It was designed to work with natural fibers such as cotton and linen.

For beginners, groups and children I recommendKits Tulip One-Step Dye. Check out our recommendation list.kits de tie-dye, which includes everything you need to get started.

For tie-dyers looking for more color options or a more professional quality dye, I recommend ProcionMX dyesJacquardorDharma Trading Co..

things to color

You can dye all kinds of fabric items such ascotton shirts,Pullover, socks, even shoes! Just make sure the items you buy are made from 100% natural fibers (like cotton or linen) for the best result.

Tie-dye patterns and folding techniques

There are many different tie-dye patterns and folding techniques that you can use to create unique designs. Here are some of the many designs you can create with tie-dye.

1. Spiral- oder Swirl-Tie-Dye

make oneRainbow SpiralorTie Dye Swirl Shirt:

1. Start by pinching a small section in the center of the shirt. Hold this small section while rotating the shirt clockwise.
2. Keep spinning, keeping your fingers close to the tabletop so the spiral is flat.
3. When you turn it, the shirt folds in on itself like a cinnamon roll.
4. Secure the shirt with 3 or 4 elastics and cross them over the center of the disk. The tighter you tie the shirt, the more white spots will appear.
5. Apply a different color to each "wedge" created by the crossed rubber bands. Apply color in rainbow order for a rainbow spiral design.

For more information, seeHow to color a spiral pattern: a step-by-step guide.

2. Kneaded or kneaded tie dye

make onecrushed tie dyealso known as"zerknittern"or"Fog"Project:

1. Lay the shirt flat first. Then randomly crumple up smaller sections of fabric.
2. Continue kneading and folding, gathering all of the fabric into a relatively flat, solid disk.
3. Wrap several rubber bands around the disc. The harder you knead it, the more white areas will be on the final shirt.

For more information, seeHow to do the Crumple Tie Dye technique.

And to see a video of the scrunch technique, check out this post:How to bleach a tie dye sweatshirt

3. Target-Batikmuster

make bigtarget drawing:

1. Lay the shirt on a table. Pinch a small section of fabric in the middle of the shirt. (If you want the target to be off-center, choose a small off-center section.)
2. Pull the pinned fabric to a point and smooth out the rest of the shirt to create a thin cone shape.
3. Wrap the elastics around the fabric cone, starting about 1 inch below the top of the cone. You can add as many rubber bands as you like.
4. To make stripes, apply colors alternately.

4. Project Sunburst

The sunburst design is like a series of small targets. closeTie-Dye-Sunburst-Muster:

1. Lay the shirt on a table. Pinch a small section of fabric and pull to create a small, pointed cone shape.
2. Wrap a rubber band around the small fabric cone, about 1/2 to 1 inch below the top of the cone.
3. Repeat this process, pinching another small section of fabric to create another cone. Secure with a rubber band.
4. Make as many rays of sunshine as you want.
5. Apply 1 or 2 dye colors to the background color.

5. Horizontal stripes

Makehorizontal stripes:

1. Lay the shirt flat. Starting with the left sleeve, fold the shirt in a row of 1 inch zigzag folds. Alternate the folds back and forth as if you were making a paper fan.
2. Secure the folded shirt with elastic bands, adding an elastic band every 1 to 2 inches.
3. To create stripes, apply paints in alternating sections.

6. Diagonal stripes

Makediagonal stripes:

1. Lay the shirt flat. Starting at the bottom left corner, fold the shirt in a series of 1/2 inch infinity folds. Alternate the folds back and forth as if you were making a paper fan.
2. Folding the left sleeve can be a bit tricky, but try to keep it in line with the rest of the folds.
3. Secure the folded shirt with elastic bands, adding an elastic band every 1 to 2 inches.
4. To create stripes, apply paints in alternating sections. Or create a color block design like the shirt in the photos above.

7. Vertical stripes

Creating vertical stripes is very similar to creating horizontal stripes. Makevertical stripes:

1. Lay the shirt flat. Starting at the bottom hem, fold the shirt in a row of 1-inch accordion folds. Alternate the folds back and forth as if you were making a paper fan.
2. Secure the folded shirt with elastic bands, adding an elastic band every 1 to 2 inches.
3. To create stripes, apply paints in alternating sections.

8. Square folding boxes

In the photos above, reference the diagram at left and the finished blue shirt. MakeShibori-inspired square pleats:

1. Put the shirt on the table. Starting on the wrong side, fold the shirt lengthwise in a series of accordion folds. I made each fold about 3.5 inches wide. (You can make wider sections if you like.) Pinch the edges of each fold well to get sharp creases.
2. Then fold the shirt widthwise in a series of accordion folds. I made each pleat about 3.5 inches wide to match. The resulting bundle of fabric should be square in shape.
3. Place the tissue pack between two 3-inch squares of cardboard. Fasten well with rubber bands.
4. You can dip the pack in a paint bucket or use a squirt bottle to apply paint to the edges of the pack. (If using a squirt bottle, be sure to use enough dye to saturate the fabric.)

9. Triangular folds

This technique begins in the same way as the previous project. In the images above you can see the folding diagram on the right and the finished orange shirt. MakeShibori-inspired triangle pleats:

1. Put the shirt on the table. Starting on the wrong side, fold the shirt lengthwise in a series of accordion folds. I made each fold about 5 inches wide. Press the edges of each fold well to get clear folds.
2. Then fold the shirt into triangles. If you've ever folded a flag, you'll be familiar with this. Bend forward and then back to a 45 degree angle. Bend forward again and then back to 45 degrees. Repeat until all fabric is folded. The resulting bundle of fabric should be in the shape of a triangle.
3. Place the bundle of fabric between two equal triangles of cardboard. Fasten well with rubber bands.
4. You can dip the pack in a paint bucket or use a squirt bottle to apply paint to the edges of the pack. (If using a squirt bottle, be sure to use enough dye to saturate the fabric.)

10. Mandala also known as a tie-dye kaleidoscope

For this look, create a design with multiple lines of symmetry. To do this, first fold the shirt in a wedge shape and apply the color in any combination. Then, when you unfold the shirt, you reveal the unique kaleidoscopic pattern. make oneMandala-Tie-Dye-Design:

1. Put the shirt on the table. Fold it in half lengthwise. Then fold in half again widthwise. The shirt is now folded in four.
2. Fold the shirt in half along the diagonal line according to the diagram above. The shirt is now folded into eighths.
3. Fold the shirt in half again along the diagonal line according to the diagram above. The shirt is now folded in sixteenths.
4. Secure with rubber bands.
5. Apply multiple colors of dye to create your unique design.

11. Heart coloring

With a little patience, you can fold the fabric to create a tie-dye heart in the middle of the shirt. See how to make oneTie-Dye-Herz:

1. Lay the shirt flat first. Then fold the shirt in half lengthwise.
2. Using an erasable marker, draw a half heart shape on the folded edge.
3. At one end of your line, start making small accordion folds. Following the line you drew, fold the folds so that the marker line appears just above the top of the folds. This means making the folds a little deeper on the outside and shallower on the inside to accommodate the curve of the line.
4. When all the fabric is folded, secure it with a thick elastic band. Place a tread on the line itself and add more elastics on the inner or outer sections as needed.

12. Rainbow Tie Color

Folding a rainbow shape is very similar to folding a heart - but even easier! See how to make oneRainbow Tie Colorform:

1. Lay the shirt flat first. Then fold the shirt in half lengthwise.
2. Using an erasable marker, draw half a rainbow on the folded edge.
3. At one end of your line, start making small accordion folds. Following the line you drew, fold the folds so that the marker line appears just above the top of the folds. This means making the folds a little deeper on the outside and shallower on the inside to accommodate the curve of the line.
4. When all the fabric is folded, secure it with a thick elastic band. Place a tread on the line itself and add more elastics on the inner or outer sections as needed.
5. Apply color in rainbow order to create a traditional rainbow color scheme.

13. Chevron-Krawattenfarbe

This chevron design is a variation of the diagonal stripe designs we saw above. See how to make oneChevron-Tie-Dye:

1. Lay the shirt flat first. Then fold the shirt in half lengthwise.
2. Using an erasable marker, draw half of a chevron V shape on the folded edge. You can position it higher or lower than mine, or have it face up or down - your choice.
3. At one end of your line, start making small accordion folds. Following the line you drew, fold the folds so that the marker line appears just above the top of the folds.
4. When all the fabric is folded, secure it with a thick elastic band. Place a tread on the line itself and add more elastics on the inner or outer sections as needed.
5. For a color-blocked look, add 1 or 2 colors of ink. For a striped chevron look, apply color in small sections, alternating colors.

14. Ombre-Dip

You don't need to fold the fabric for this technique - although I think it would look great with some delicate accordion folds! make a...Ombre dip dyeProject:

1. Dip one end of the shirt in a bucket of paint. As it sits in the dye bath, the color slowly rises through the fabric.
2. You can repeat this process by dipping the other end of the fabric in a different color.

15. Striped tie-dye socks

Tie-dying socks are very similar to shirts - you just have a smaller canvas to work with. To create a match pairStriped socks with a tie-dye pattern:

1. Take two socks together and fold them in half lengthwise.
2. Place a rubber band every 1 to 2 inches down the length of the socks.
3. Apply a different color of dye to each section.

16. Swirl Dyed Socks

Because socks don't have much surface area, it's difficult to get a true spiral. Still, I really like the design that this technique makes. swirlTie Dye Socks:

1. Put two socks together. Squeeze and twist a small section in the heel area. Keep twisting until the socks curl up like a cinnamon roll.
2. Secure with rubber bands. Add different colors to the "wedges" formed by the crossing rubber bands.

17. Crumpled, dyed socks

Here is the easiest way to dye socks. You can color them as a pair or individually. Makewrinkled socks:

1. Lay the socks flat first. Then randomly crumple up small pieces of fabric.
2. Continue kneading and folding, bringing the socks together into a relatively flat, firm disk.
3. Wrap several rubber bands around the disc. Apply paint in the colors of your choice.

Bonus: Eisfarbe

dying iceit's fun andlegalVariation of traditional batik techniques. I love it for the way it creates stunning watercolor designs. Instead of liquid dye and squeeze bottles, Ice Tie Dye uses powdered dye sprinkled over a pile of ice cubes. To learn more about this magical technique, click here:How to Color Ice Cream - Easy DIY Tutorial

And of course you can use many of these folding techniquesBleach dye or reverse tie-dye. To learn more about this process, don't miss my articlesHow to bleach a tie dye sweatshirte5 folding techniques for bleach tie dye.

More tie dye tutorials

For more information on tie-dye, see these related articles:

• How to fix tie dye so it doesn't fade
• How to remove tie dye from hands

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