Tie dye HELP!?

Question

can someone please tell me if i might be able to recreate a similar tie dye design on a dress at home??

http://images.aboutus.org/images/d/d8/ThaiDyeHoodedJacket.jpg

if so, how????

help would be GREATLY appreciated.

best answers gets 10 pts :)

Answer 1

It is shibori dyed, and it is a time consuming process.

First dye the dress the base color.  Then start pleating the fabric.  Take the dress and start at the neck.  Using a needle and quilting thread, sew a line of huge stitches an inch or two down from the neckline and tie the ends.  (stitches should each be about an inch long.)  Do not gather the stitches up yet.  Repeat an inch or two below that. If you want the vertical lines to match, try to make the next row of stitches line up with the ones above...Unders next to unders, overs next to overs.  

If you want the vertical color lines to shift, switch overs and unders, and then match those for a while.  Continue sewing rows of giant stitches every inch or two down the length of the dress.  Don't forget to include the sleeves in the circles, or stitch them seperately.  

When you have the dress entirely sewn, go back and pull the top circle thread tight and tie it in a knot.  Gather each circle the same way until you have a long skinny bundle of pleated fabric.  

Take colored dyes and paint them randomly on the dress, being sure to get the dyes in between the pleats as much as you can.  Try to leave almost none of the base color showing.

Then use a series of rubber bands every 6 to 8 inches or so to tighten up the bundle even more.  You can twist the pleats in one direction with one band, and in the other direction with the next for a more interesting pattern.   Paint over the tops (or even dip dye) with your darkest color.

Be sure to set the dye with steam.  (For small pieces you can microwave them, larger ones will need to be closed up in plastic wrap and steamed in a large pot or solar dyed in a black trash bag left in the hot sun for an hour or two.)  

Then carefully remove all rubber bands and stitching rows, and rinse the dress.  If you are not satisfied with the results, you can do the process again to add complexity to the pattern.

Answer 2

It looks kinda like it was fan folded, but it also could be shirobi which is like tie dye but with ropes