3 tie-dye tote bag techniques 15. June 2023

Soak the three tote bags in a tub and wring them out immediately.

To apply the twist technique, follow this procedure: grasp the fabric in the middle and rotate it around so that the tote bag starts to look like a rose. Lastly, fold the sides around and secure the shape with rubber bands. To apply the square technique, follow this procedure: cut two equal rectangular shapes of cardboard in the desired size and fold the tote bags into a slightly larger square than the cardboard shape. Place the two cardboard shapes on either side of the folded fabric and fasten with rubber bands so that the tote bag holds its shape. To apply the tying technique, follow this procedure: use round fabric balls as shown in the video. Spread the balls on the tote bag and fasten them to the fabric with rubber bands. If you wish to make tie dye circles in different sizes, as an alternative to the fabric balls, you can also simply tie the rubber bands around the amount of fabric you want to form a circle.

When you have completed the chosen technique, put on gloves and pour hot water into the bottle containing the colour. Shake the bottle well, place the tote bag in a plastic bag and carefully spread the colour onto the fabric. Anna recommends that you cover the table and wear painter's clothes or similar due to the risk of colour stains.

Tie a knot around the plastic bag and let the dye soak into the fabric overnight or for at least 12 hours. The longer you let the colour soak, the more visible and stronger it will become.

Wash the tote bags with the different techniques separately. If you have used the square or twist technique, remove the rubber bands before washing. If you have used the tying technique, contrarily be aware not to remove the rubber bands before washing the tote bag to avoid the colour rubbing off on the round, bright circles. Be sure to run an empty wash programme after washing the tote bag, and then a regular wash in similar colours to avoid rub-off of the colour onto clothing.

After the wash you can let your tote bag air-dry and look forward to bringing it with you on the go.