Tie Dye July - Four More Easy Folding Techniques

Here's a quick recap if you are new to this story:

I bought a cute summer skirt I really liked and wanted one in a different color. Alas, it only came in one color scheme, so I decided to design and sew a new skirt for myself then die it in my favorite colors.

I couldn't find a comprehensive guide comparing different tie dye techniques, so I decided to create my own. I started with four easy folding techniques. Now, I have four more to share.

Just so you know, I used RIT fabric dye for all of my examples. I applied my purple, gray and black dyes to the fabric with plastic water bottles after wetting the fabric thoroughly in warm water.

Knot

This one is almost as easy as the crumple fold from my previous post. Simply tie your fabric into a few knots and randomly apply the color. You don't even need any rubber bands for this technique.

For when you are feeling knotty!

Rolled Stripes

This is similar to the accordion fold from my last post. This time, instead of folding your fabric, simply roll it, then tie rubber bands equally spaced down the length of the fabric. Apply a different color of dye to each section between the bands.

This creates an ombre effect because the fabric is darker on the outside of the roll and is very light at the inside of the roll.

Stripe-sational!

Rosettes

At first glance, these may look just like the circles from my last post, but they are not randomly placed. Draw evenly spaced spots in an arc on your fabric with a fabric pen. Gather each of the spots between your fingers and tie a rubber band just below the gather. Color the tip of the fabric the color you want your spots to be and the rest of your fabric a different color.

 Radically rosey!

Spiral

This effect looks a lot more difficult than it actually is. Simply twist the fabric into a spira. Secure the spiral with two or more rubber bands placed across the spiral. Apply a different color to each section between the bands.

It's a super sunburst!

Again, if you are curious about how I created each grouping of pictures, I used Photoscape. I use it to edit all of my photos and the very best part is that it's free to download at http://www.photoscape.org/ps/main/download.php.