Tie Dye Patterns – How to Create 6 Different Designs

Tie Dye, as the name suggests is a process of dyeing fabrics after you tie them in a manner that gives beautiful designs on the material. This can be done by anyone and it is a great hobby activity. You can create beautiful t-shirts, bed sheets, scarves, skirts, and pants. If creativity is your virtue, you can create endless tie dye patterns that give beautiful designs on the fabric. All you need to do is stretch your imagination completely.

The patterns you create depend on how you fold your material. The process of tie dye involves folding the material and then tying at various portions using strings. Then, the dye is applied to the fabric. The dye does not reach the areas that are tied with rubber bands or strings. So here, folding the material is the key. Basically, how you fold your fabric and the colors you use will determine the design on the final product. So, you must first fix up what kind of designs you wish to create. Designs can be circular, stripes and random designs. Random designs include items like butterfly, flower, leaves, diamonds, rosettes, squares, and ovals. Let us discuss some patters you can create:

1. Knot Tying: This pattern is ideal to work on light materials and long sleeves. You have to carefully twist the fabric first from both ends like a rope and tighten it. Then, you can fasten using strings. You can tie many even knots you need on the fabric, depending on your design. This pattern will give you fine lines.

2. Pleats: Lay the garment flat and using your hands pinches it to get folds on the material. Continue creating these folds on the entire fabric. You could change the size of the folds on both hands or on one hand to get the required design. Fasten the folds several times tightly and knot the strings. This is one of the basic tie dye patterns that can be used for making diamonds, squares, ovals or any symmetrical design.

3. Spirals: You create spiral pattern by gathering a section of the fabric using your thumb or a fork rotating it to create pleats in swirls all around the center. Get the loose ends within the circle and flatten the fabric using your palm. It will resemble a pancake. Take rubber bands and slide them over the cloth without disturbing the design. Let the rubber bands meet at the center. You can use various colors and the spiral created on the material looks stunning.

4. Electric Bunching: Bring together the ends of the fabric in bunches and shape it in the form of a ball. Fasten it well with rubber bands and try and retain the shape. Then dye it. This gives the pattern of electric light or lightening-like design.

5. Rosettes: Make dots on the fabric as the center of the rosette. Pick the dots together and at the base of the circles tie them up with strings. Wrap very well to the tip.

6. Stripes: To make stripes you must roll the garment loosely and get it together like a tube. You will get vertical stripes on the tube. Tie them at various intervals depending on how close you want the stripes. Using strings, tie several times very tightly. Apply dye by either immersing the garment or squirting colors on it.

Listed above are only a few basic tie dye patterns. You can create countless designs depending on the patterns you select.