How To Diamond Tie Dye
If you like tie dyeing and are looking for a pattern that is easy, but not super common, give the diamond tie dye technique a try. It’s bold with the crisp diamond shapes, can be used with few or many colors and can be tied up with rubber bands quickly. Also, great for beginners that are looking to try tie dyeing for the first time!
For this pattern I used 3 colors, but you could more or less and it will still look great . I am also using an Adult Medium 100% cotton t-shirt, but any size shirt will work for this design.
FOR MORE TIE DYE 101 BASICS: HOW TO TIE DYE: THE ULTIMATE GUIDE
TO SEE MORE ITEMS YOU CAN TIE DYE WITH THIS PATTERN: 30 THINGS TO TIE DYE
Diamond Tie Dye
What you’ll need:
- White Shirt
- Rubber Bands
- Washable Marker (I like to use my kids’ Crayola Washable Markers)
- Dye Kit (Which Includes Rubber Bands, Gloves, And A Plastic Sheet)
- Plastic/Rubber Gloves
- Plastic Covering For Work Surface
- Painter’s Tape (optional)
- Baking Tray With Rack (optional)
- Paper Towels/Rags
- Gallon Plastic Bag or Plastic Wrap
Baking sheet/rack versus just a workspace covered in plastic: I have dyed MANY shirts on just a covered workspace. As long as you have a ton of paper towels and are careful, you will be fine. It is, however, MUCH easier and more environmentally friendly (i.e. paper towel usage) if you use a baking sheet and rack because any excess dye goes directly onto the pan, away from your shirt, and you barely need to use any paper towels. If you plan on tie dyeing a number of items now or in the future I strongly suggest the investment.
Creating The Pattern
1. Start with a damp, but not wet, shirt for this design. The shirt could be fresh out of the washing machine. If you washed it a different day, like I usually do, then just dunk the shirt in a bucket of water or sink and wring it out before starting.
2. Lay the shirt flat on your work surface front side down and fold down the center of the shirt. Put your finger where you want the center of the diamond to be (should be close to the center of the chest) and fold the shirt in half again (see below).
3. Make a diagonal line on the shirt with the washable marker. As this line represents 1 of the 4 sides of the diamond, pay attention to the angle (the taller the line goes, the taller the diamond).
4. Gather together the shirt at the line. Be sure to leave it on the table as you are not trying to match the ends of the line (like you would do for a Bullseye Tie Dye). This is what will give the diamond the nice sharp sides and not turn it into an oval. Secure the line with a rubber band.
5. Gather the rest of the shirt together behind the rubber banded section. Continue to wrap in rubber bands creating the diamond shaped bands of the shirt.
NOTE: As with the first rubber band, each additional rubber band should hold together a flattened part of the shirt, see pics below. This will help to create the straight lines of the diamond.
Dyeing The Shirt
6. Set your shirt on the baking sheet/cooling rack or covered workspace and put on your gloves. Start with your lightest or weakest color which is yellow or light pink and fill in those bands of the shirt. Make sure to add extra dye and let it soak in, so it can get to the center of the shirt. Continue to add the rest of the colors, working in the same pattern. TIP: If you are using the baking sheet, you can turn the sheet and not have to touch the shirt while dyeing.
7. When you have finished dyeing the first side of the shirt, carefully turn it over. You will want to wipe up any access dye on the rack or workspace before laying the shirt down. Repeat the dyeing process starting with the lightest color again.
8. Once both sides of the shirt have been dyed, carefully place it in the gallon plastic bag or wrap the rest of the shirt in plastic wrap. Personally I prefer the plastic bag as you can easily seal it, label it (if you are dyeing more than one item) and move it if needed without worrying about dye leaking out. TIP: If the item is heavily dyed and dye drips out into the bag it is being stored in, add a folded paper towel piece to soak the extra dye up. That way the extra dye cannot move to another part of the shirt and muddy up the colors/pattern.
Rinsing And Washing
9. Let the shirt sit for minimally 6-8 hours and up to 24 hours max, so the dye can cure. This will help produce the brightest colors.
Once the dye has cured, it’s time to rinse and wash the shirt. This is an important step as, if done in the wrong order or rushed, it can muddy up the nice colors and pattern you created.
10. Take the shirt out of the plastic bag and put it in a sink or bucket (something that can get dirty and won’t stain). We have a stainless steel kitchen sink, so I use that. You can cut/take off the rubber bands and then rinse the shirt in COLD water. The cold part is critical because it allows excess dye to wash out slowly while not dyeing the remaining white parts of the shirt.
11. Repeat this rinse process several times until the water is fairly clear.
12. Once the water is fairly clear, repeat the rinse process once more, but with luke warm water (not HOT). This should get the last bit of excess dye out before putting it in a washing machine.
13. Once the shirt is thoroughly rinsed, you can wash it in the washing machine either by itself or with several other rinsed tie dye items. If I’m tie dyeing a bunch of shirts, I will put up to 6 in one load. Wash on warm or cold with a bit of detergent.
14. Dry the shirt(s) in dryer or let air dry. Personally I prefer air drying as it extends the life of the dye color (as they will eventually fade a bit with washing and wear).
NOTE: Wash the shirt by itself or with other tie dye items for the next few washings before adding it in with your other clothes.
And here is the fun finished project! A bold pattern with bold colors! Happy Tie Dyeing!
