Here’s a fun, easy guide for tie-dyeing. For practice, recycle a couple of Dad’s white T-shirts that have seen better days! Or use a white shirt that’s picked up a few stains along the way.

What you'll need:

• 100% white or light-colored cotton T-shirt
• Nontoxic fabric dye such as Rit® (Decide how many colors you want to use.)
• Salt (if your dye directions require it)
• Rubber bands (Various widths of thick and thin work best if you can find them.)
• Bucket or bowl for each color dye you’re using (large enough to submerge your shirt in if you’re using only one color)
• Plastic sheets or garbage bags to protect your work surface
• Rubber or plastic gloves to protect your hands
• Bounty® paper towels to clean up spills and blot between “dips”
• Pennies or buttons (optional)

Directions:

1. Prepare your work surface so it’s covered in plastic and paper towels are close at hand.
2. Mix the dye solution according to package directions. Use a separate bucket or bowl for each color.
3. Begin crumpling, folding, bunching, or twisting the shirt into various designs and bind each section tightly with a rubber band. Alternating thick and thin rubber bands will give you more interesting patterns. Placing three or four rubber bands about a 1/2” apart will produce stripes. For small circles, bunch pennies or buttons into the fabric and bind them tightly with a rubber band. Dye will not penetrate bound areas of the fabric, so the more areas you “tie,” the more intricate your design will be.