Tie dyeing is the hottest craft trend right now and with so many tie dye patterns you can really get creative!
It's a great way to upcycle clothing and give your plain items a new, funky edge! We created a complete guide to tie dyeing right here on Gathered which covers the basics of tie-dyeing.
If you've already learned how to tie dye and gathered all your materials, it's time to start experimenting with patterns.
There's hundreds of different tie dye patterns out there and you can always experiment with your own creations.
To give you some inspiration, we've collected a huge range of cool tie dye patterns. There's everything from the classic spiral pattern to more unique designs. We collected 25 tie dye patterns for you to be inspired by. Have a browse through our tie dye patterns and get groovy!
Need to stock up on dye? Shop dye from:
If you'd rather learn to tie dye through a kit, then head over to our best tie dye kits round-up.
Step-by-step easy tie dye patterns
Top Tip: Take a small piece of fabric and practise these tie dye patterns before you move on to your clothing/items. This way you can finesse your design and make sure you have the right dye ratio.
Spiral tie dye pattern
1. Lay your damp t-shirt flat on the table. Now, pinch the fabric in the middle of the t-shirt between your thumb and fingers, and start to twist the fabric round to create a spiral effect.
2. Keep twisting until you have spiralled the whole t-shirt into a tight ball.
3. Take your elastic bands and wrap them around the spiralled t-shirt. Overlap them, using at least three to create different sections.
Stripes tie dye pattern
1. Lay the t-shirt out flat.
2. Fold up the bottom edge of the t-shirt a few centimetres, then fold it under in a concertina motion.
3. Continue pleating the fabric in this way until you get to the top. The t-shirt should resemble a long strip.
4. Use 6-7 elastic bands to tie the t-shirt into sections (this will create the stripes), then squirt dye onto each section.
5. Turn over the t-shirt and make sure the back is covered, too, before popping in into a plastic back to set.
6. For a different effect, concertina-fold from sleeve to sleeve, or even bottom corner to opposite top corner for diagonal stripes.
Polka dot tie dye pattern
1. Pinch small sections of the t-shirt fabric and tie an elastic band around each one.
2. For larger dots, make sure you pinch out more fabric, tying it further down. This technique can be quite time-consuming if you cover the whole t-shirt with dots.
3. Once you have added as many elastic bands as you want, squirt on the dye to the entire t-shirt, both front and back.
Crumpled tie dye pattern
Crumple tie dye is a fun and easy tie dye pattern to create. We show exactly how to do crumple tie dye in our step by step tutorial.
Bullseye tie dye pattern
1. Lay the t-shirt out flat and pinch the centre, where you want the middle of your bullseye to be. Pull the fabric straight upwards into the air, so that the rest of the t-shirt drapes down.
2. Guide the fabric underneath with your other hand to create a tube shape.
3. Wrap an elastic band around the tube, a few centimetres beneath the centre point.
4. Continue adding elastic bands at different intervals.
5. Add dye to each section, making sure the t-shirt is completely covered.
Triangles and squares tie dye pattern
These patterns work better if you use just one colour of dye, and are often used in Shibori indigo dyeing (learn how to make a shibori tie dye scarf here on Gathered).
1. Firstly, fold in the sleeves of your t-shirt, then fold the whole t-shirt lengthways into a long strip. Working from the bottom edge of the t-shirt, accordion-fold the fabric in either a triangle or square shape, going from front to back until you reach the top.
2. Now cut two pieces of cardboard to the same shape (triangle or square), a little bit smaller than the fabric.
3. Place one piece of cardboard either side, sandwiching the fabric in between, and secure in place using two or three elastic bands.
4. Add dye to all the exposed surfaces.
More tie dye designs to try!
Hungry for more ideas? Here are some extra cool tie dyeing techniques to try!
1. Sunburst tie dye technique
Charynn Olsheski has a fun range of tie dye patterns on her blog, Pineapple Paper Co. She shows you how to recreate this pretty sunburst design, which she says would make a great shirt for 4th of July celebrations!
2. Pokemon ball design!
Riahs Tie Dye's YouTube channel is the place to go for really unique patterns. In this video, they show you how to make a Pokemon ball design!
If you're a Pokemon fan then make sure you also check out our Pokemon cross stitch and Pokemon Go crochet patterns.
3. Heart tie dye pattern
How sweet is this tie dye pattern? Creative Ramblings shows you how to make this cool heart design on their blog.
4. Chevron tie dye pattern
Master the art of chevron tie dyeing with Tulip Tie Dye. We love this design and think it would look amazing in so many different colourways.
5. Rainbow tie dye pattern
Combine colours with this pretty rainbow design. We think this would look so cute on kids' clothing. The Neon Tea Party shows you how to recreate this design as well as several others on their blog.
6. Skull tie dye shirt
This tie dye pattern by I Love to Create gives us Halloween vibes! Follow their tutorial and upcycle an old t-shirt for an easy DIY Halloween costume.
7. Yin yang design
Let your inner hippie fly with this yin-yang design by Lilgamoma. Tie dye + yin-yang = perfect festival attire! Head over to Lilgamoma's YouTube channel to learn how to dye this design step by step.
8. Watermelon tie dye pattern
Give your clothes a summer makeover with this tasty watermelon pattern. Follow Dharma Trading Co's step-by-step tutorial to make your own watermelon garments and accessories. You could even make our beaded watermelon brooch to match!
9. Tie dye star pattern
Shoot for the stars with this fun tie dye pattern. Tulip Tie Dye shows you how to make this pattern over on their blog.
10. Diagonal stripes
We showed you how to do horizontal stripes early in this post but how about diagonal stripes? It's a great pattern to switch up your tie dying game. Pineapple Paper Co guides you through this eye-catching pattern, along with nine other techniques.
11. Sunflower tie dye pattern
Chandye's YouTube channel features lots of different tie dye patterns. We love this sunflower design and think it's a great one to recreate for summer.
If this sunflower isn't quite for you though, head over to their YouTube channel as they have tutorials for alien tie dye, mandala tie dye and much more!
12. Diamond tie dye pattern
We've got another tie dye pattern from Tulip Tie Dye. Learn how to make this cool diamond tie dye pattern with a few simple folds.
13. Ombre tie dye pattern
Ombre your favourite colours with Tulip Tie Dye's free tutorial. We think this ombre effect would look great on bags, socks, cushions and even curtains.
14. Ice dyeing technique
If you want to try something different to traditional tie dyeing then this is the tutorial for you. Our how to do ice dyeing tutorial shows you how to use the technique to make this cool cushion fabric.
15. Rainbow tie dye dress
We showed you a rainbow version for kids earlier in this article, but now it's time for something a little more sophisticated! Over on her blog, Ashley walks you through this swishy, summery number.
16. Geode tie dye effect
On her blog, Practical & Pretty, Anna shows you how to do geode tie dyeing, to produce this beautiful and delicately patterned effect.
17. Glue resist technique
Fancy something completely different? The glue resist technique mimics traditional batik, a wax resist process.
For this one, start with a white t-shirt and create your pattern with glue! Then dye your shirt to produce this mesmerising result. Head over to Crafty Chica's blog to get the full step-by-steps.
18. Marble dye
OK, so for this one, you'll need some shaving foam as well as your dye. Yep, you heard that right! Courtesy of Rit, follow this tutorial to get the lowdown on this elegant marble effect. It's such a fun one, we're sure you'll be hooked.
19. Cherry Blossoms
Make a splash with the quadruple spiral technique which produces this stunning cherry blossoms effect. Take a look at Riahs Tie Dye YouTube channel to watch the transformation of a plain black t-shirt into something so vibrant and colourful!
Make your own colourful creations with tie dye
Tie dye is a brilliant and easy way to upcycle your clothing and accessories in your home. It's both affordable and unique.
Our collection of tie dye patterns gives you plenty of ideas to experiment with. From heart tie dye to skull designs, you can make absolutely anything with tie dye!
Find more tie dyeing patterns with Gathered
We hope you've enjoyed these cool tie dye patterns! For more tie dye patterns, make sure you check out our guide to Shibori tie dye.
