Hippies and surf bums have been wearing tie dye since before Glastonbury was invented (I’m guessing) so why not put down that friendship bracelet you’re making, crank up your Black Lips record and make a colourful new T-shirt!
I’m not sure you REALLY need steps to master this. It’s sooo easy but here’s a few to inspire you anyway…
Step 1
Find a manky used-to-be-white T-shirt that you still love but has seen better days (if your wardrobe’s like mine, most of it will be eligible). Then grab some tie dye mixture (use a few different colours – try your local craft shop or somewhere like John Lewis for a good selection).
Step 2
Fold the fabric anyway you ruddy well like. The two main ways to get effects are spirals and blotches.
Spirals probably look cooler. You can do this by twisting the fabric in a spiral shape with a fork and then banding the fabric. To make blotches, just grab and secure bits of the T-shirt randomly with your hands all over the place.
You can also try twisting the T into the shape of a caterpillar, banding along it and dying each section a different colour.
Step 3
Apply dye like a maniac or more sparingly depending on how far-out you fancy looking. Use as many colours as you like (yellow, blood-orange and deep blue are good options for spring) and apply dye with a brush, sponge or squeeze the bottle all over the place.
Step 4
Generally, the less time you leave the dye on for, the more you’ll achieve a lo-fi, faded effect. That’s preferable as it’ll look like you’ve had the T for like, ever man.
Step 5
Wash the fabric on it’s own and rise with cold water. Et voila! Mind-expansion in fabric form.
Warning: Tie dying can become addictive. Think carefully before dying anything previously owned by your mum. Scrunchies, canvas bags, socks, tea towels and your dog’s winter jacket are all also up for tie dye deliberation although they would probably end up looking rad too.
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