Tie dying is a really fun way to explore colour, patterns and textiles. The results are dramatic but it's very easy to do (if a little messy!) We tie dyed a plain cotton shopper bag which makes a great personalised bag for a school gym kit. You could try recycling any old cotton items from around the house - try pillow cases, tea towels or old T-Shirts.
Tie dye bag
: 20 minutes plus drying time
Age: 5 to 10s, over 10s
Level: Medium
Materials
Cotton shopper bag (or pillow case, T-shirt etc)
Salt (if required as per dye instructions)
Ready to dye!
With tie dying, the idea is that areas of cloth under the elastic bands remain white and the rest of the cloth is dyed a colour. Our bag was quite thick and the dye didn't soak in to some sections of the bag which were folded, but the end effect was still interesting.
Pinch, fold or twist sections of bag and secure with elastic bands. Put lots of elastic bands on to get plenty of detail.
We folded our bag into a sausage shape and secured with lots of elastic bands to make a design with concentric rings.
Mix the dye and salt in a basin according to the instructions on the pack.
Add the cotton bag with elastic bands in to the dye mix. We left ours in the basin for around an hour.
Remove the cotton bag from the basin and allow the excess dye to drain off.
Remove the elastic bands carefully to reveal the tie dyed pattern.
Allow to dry fully and then iron out the creases.
