Swirl Tie-Dye T-Shirt

How to Make

Before you start:

Soak the T-shirt in a bowl of water then squeeze hard to remove as much water as possible, or rinse and spin dry the T-shirt in a washing machine. Follow the instructions in the kit for adding water to the dye bottles and applying it onto the fabric.

To make a swirl pattern:

1. Lay out the damp T-shirt flat on a clean work surface. Place your fingers in the middle of the T-shirt, pinch the fabric, pull it up then start twisting it into a swirl. As you twist the T-shirt, tuck in the fabric around the edges, so the whole T-shirt swirls into a tight shape.
2. Wrap 3 elastic bands around the swirl to hold the fabric in place. Adjust the elastic bands so the T-shirt swirl is divided into 6 equal sections. Tuck in the fabric at the edges.
3. Cover your work surface with the polythene sheet from the kit then place a wire rack on top. Use a washable pen to mark the T-shirt with small dots on alternate sections, then turn the fabric over and mark the matching sections on the other side.
   Place the T-shirt swirl onto the wire rack then squeeze coloured dye over the sections with a pen mark. Turn over then add more dye on the reverse side. Add a different dye colour to fill in the remaining sections on the T-shirt, or leave it white if you prefer. Press the fabric so the dye reaches inside the folds.
4. Leave the T-shirt to dry for 6-8 hours on the wire rack. Remove all the elastic bands then open out the T-shirt. Leave it to dry out for a bit longer if the middle is still wet. Rinse the T-shirt in water then leave it to dry out again. Cover the T-shirt with a thin cloth then press with a warm iron.

Top Tip

The finished swirl pattern depends on how wet the T-shirt is when the dye is applied. If the T-shirt is very wet, the colours will run together and the pattern may appear less defined. If the T-shirt is slightly damp or dried out when the dye is applied, the swirl will be clearer.