Doesn’t a tie dye geode shirt sound enticing? When I made this shirt, I had no idea what to call it. Popcorn? Circles? Polka dots? Spotty? But it has a very organic look to it, so geode it is. I used black dye, but I think this tie dye pattern would look beautiful in a bright colors.
It’s actually a Shibori tie dye technique from Japan, but I gave it my own rubber band twist! It’s easy and the final look is spotty and fun! The weird, unusual arrangement of the repetitive circles is what makes it pleasing to the eye. Rather than using this technique on a shirt, you could think big and do pillowcases, a duvet, sheets, a tablecloth or even a large piece of fabric for sewing projects.
SUPPLIES for Tie Dye Geode Shirt:
Washed white shirt
Small rubber bands or string/twine, lots of them
Gloves
Table covering
Plastic bag
How to make a Tie Dye Geode Shirt
First work on the front of the shirt and add rubberbands on one side of the shirt. Tie each one three to four times so it is super tight. This will take a while, put on a movie or a podcast or something!
Now do the back side of the shirt. Soak the entire thing in water and blot dry.
Cover your work surface with a plastic table covering and put on the gloves.
Mix your dye according to the package directions (add water to the bottle and shake) and apply to the shirt. All over the place!
Make sure it is nice and soaked. Wrap it in a plastic bag and leave it to set for six hours, then rinse in the sink to remove as much as of the dye as possible. Then carefully cut away the rubber bands, rinse again and wash alone in cold water, hang dry. DONE!
For the blue shirt, I also started out with a white base and then I added the rubber band and teal dye. I definitely want to try this tie dye geode shirt again, but with multiple colors.
Useless! Wasted my time composing this reply and the prove-you’re -not-a-robot function doesn’t work with iPhone. Here is what I tried to share: Vanessa, do you have access to a mess if yellow onion skins? Boil them up and then dump in the object you wish to tie dye. Simmer a d stir for at least half an hour.
You can tie with anything you have on hand. I took a traditional African indigo dye workshop where they used moistened straw. If you have that around, that’s pretty cheap.
Good luck!
I’m not Vanessa, i’m Kathy – but I LOVE that idea!!! I’ll have to try it, thank you for the comment, sorry for the hassle! Love and light!
Hi, Kathy, that top shirt is beautiful! I took a textile dying class years ago, but I can’t figure out how you got the background color gradation. Can you give me a clue? Thanks!