- what you will need for this:

fabric dye
disposable pan of warm water
plastic spoon (dye can stain, so be sure everything you use is disposable)
white cotton socks that have already been washed and then soaked in water and wrung out
thick rubber bands
newspaper
rubber gloves


instructions - how to tie dye :
Cover the table you're working on with newspaper.

Dissolve the dye packet in warm water according to the directions on the package.
Now for the tie dying: To make stripes, wrap several rubber bands very tightly around the sock. If you want to make a matching pair, wrap both socks together. To make circles, pinch a section of the sock and wrap a rubber band around it tightly.

Put on your rubber gloves. Then, put your socks into the dye. Leave the socks in the dye for about a minute. To make your socks different colors, dunk one section into the dye at a time. Bring the socks to the kitchen sink and rinse them under running cold water. Put the socks on newspaper to dry.

Once they are dry, take off the rubber bands.

Make sure that you wash your tie dyed socks separately from the rest of your clothes the first few times you wash them, just in case the dye runs a little bit.

You can also tie dye lots of other things using these techniques. Try dying t-shirts, pillow cases and napkins.


how to tie dye - article submitted by K Khatri. 2001