The trendiest and easiest way to be your own fashion designer from home.
The tie dye trend has had a surprising resurgence, but the timing is better than ever for anyone stuck at home for long periods of time.
Re-wearing the same grey sweat pants day after day gets old quickly, and tie dye can give a much needed sprucing up to old clothes.
Kendall Jenner, Victoria Beckham and Kaia Gerber have been showing off eye catching hand dyed garments on social media, reinvigorating the trend.
No piece of clothing has escaped this trend, from socks to hats to full-length dresses, the sky is the limit.
Perhaps the best thing about tie-dye is that it can be done at home, and doesn’t cost much.
How to tie-dye anything you like:
Find a location outside preferable or in a large sink where nothing is at risk of accidentally being dyed.
Materials and equipment
- Hand/home dyes – can be bought online or in craft shops
- Clean, plain coloured clothing made from natural fibres (cotton or linen is best)
- 250g salt
- 500mL warm water
- Measuring jug
- Large rubber bands
- Rubber gloves
- Plastic bottles
Method
- Wet the clothing and squeeze out excess water so it is just moist.
- Bind tightly with rubber bands. The places where the rubber bands are won’t get dyed and will create the pattern.
- With gloves on dissolve the dye and salt in the warm water in a jug.
- Pour the mixture into a plastic bottle to make it easier to apply.
- Repeat for each colour/shade, rinsing the jug and bottle in between each new colour.
- Place the bound clothing in a clean container (a bucket can be used).
- Pour the dye mix over the clothing.
- Leave it for minimum one hour to allow the dye to have full effect.
- Keeping the clothing bound, rinse it under cold water until the water run-off is clear and then untie and rinse under warm water.
- Leave to dry in the shade.
Extra tips:
- For each colour a separate mix of salt and water is needed.
- Plan first: Using a variety of colours and getting creative is highly recommended.
- If a range of colours isn’t desired, try using bleach to lighten the original colour and create patterns.
- Create a monotone pattern of colours with varying intensities by adding different amounts of dye to a few different mixes.
