Tie-Dye Friendsies – Customizable Plush Unicorn Keychain for Backpacks

Product Information

Sandwich the fabric bundle between two matching triangles of cardboard. Secure well with rubber bands. Secure the shirt with 3 or 4 rubber bands, crisscrossing them over the center of the disc. The tighter you bind the shirt, the more white areas there will be. There are lots of different tie-dye patterns and folding techniques that you can use to create unique designs. Here are a few of the various designs you can create with tie-dye. 1. Spiral or Swirl Tie Dye Draw half of a chevron V-shape on the folded edge with a washable marker. You can position it higher or lower than mine, or make it pointing upward or downward – your choice. Lay the shirt flat on the table. Starting on the left 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 sharp creases.

Pull the pinched fabric up to a point, and smooth the rest of the shirt down to create a skinny cone shape. Tie-dye is a popular fabric dyeing technique known for its bright, saturated colors and bold patterns. It’s one of those nostalgic, feel-good crafts that never seem to go out of style. Lay the shirt flat on the table. Starting on the left 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.) Press the edges of each fold well to get sharp creases. You can create lots of different patterns by folding and tying the fabric in different ways. The folds, rubber bands, and ties resist the dye, keeping it from saturating the fabric evenly. Any part of the fabric that doesn’t get dyed will stay white, creating the design. Easy Tie-Dye Folding Techniques Secure with rubber bands. Add different colors of dye to the “wedges” that are formed by the crisscrossing rubber bands.

Learn how to make beautiful and unique tie-dye patterns with these easy tie dye folding techniques and step-by-step pictures. I’ll show you how to make all sorts of tie-dye designs, including the crumple technique, the spiral pattern, and the bullseye design. Repeat this process, pinching another small section of fabric to create another cone. Secure with a rubber band. With a little patience, you can fold the fabric to create a tie-dye heart in the middle of the shirt. Here’s how to make a tie-dye heart: For tie-dyers looking for more color options or a more professional quality dye, I recommend ProcionMX dyes from Jacquard or Dharma Trading Co.

This technique starts out the same way as the previous design. In the pictures above, reference the folding diagram on the right and the finished orange shirt. To make shibori-inspired triangle folds: To learn more about the basics of tie-dye, including how to prep, tie, dye, and wash tie-dyed garments, read my how-to article here: How to Tie Dye.

Lay the shirt out on the table. Fold it in half lengthwise. Then fold in half again widthwise. The shirt is now folded into quarters. Following the diagram above, fold the shirt in half again along the diagonal line. The shirt is now folded into sixteenths. Wrap several rubber bands around the disk. The tighter you scrunch it, the more white areas there will be in the final shirt. Starting at one end of your line, begin making small accordion pleats. Follow along the drawn line, folding the pleats in such as way that the marker line appears straight on the top of the folds.

Following the diagram above, fold the shirt in half along the diagonal line. The shirt is now folded in eighths.For this technique, you don’t have to fold the fabric – though I think it would look really awesome with some thin accordion folds! To make an ombre dip dye design:

In the pictures above, reference the diagram on the left and the finished blue shirt. To make shibori-inspired square folds: And of course, you can use a lot of these folding techniques for bleach dying or reverse tie-dying. To learn more about that process, don’t miss my articles about How to Bleach Tie-Dye a Sweatshirt and 5 Folding Techniques for Bleach Tie Dye. More Tie Dye TutorialsNext, fold the shirt widthwise in a series of accordion folds. I made each fold about 3.5 inches wide to match. The resulting bundle of fabric should be a square shape. Folding a rainbow shape is very similar to folding a heart – but even easier! Here’s how to make a tie-dye rainbow shape: