The good news is I had some time to experiment with tie dyeing, a technique which in the end proved to be so easy to do and - in the spirit of the late 60s, when it became fashionable in the west -very addictive. :-)
You need a t-shirt, plastic boxes (one for each color that you use), rubber bands, textile paint.
I used my usual textile paints which I had to dilute with water so they lost their brightness and became pastels. Powder textile pigments are better for tie dyeing as the color stays intense and make the patterns more spectacular, I will surely use them next time.
First you have to spray water on the t-shirt to make it easier to roll (yep, in the same 60s spirit). Then you pinch the t-shirt where you want the center of a spiral to be and start to twist it slowly. Once you twist the t-shirt patiently arranging the folds and the margins, you wrap the rubber bands around it to help keep it in a tight shape.
You sink the roll for app. 2 minutes in the previously diluted paint then let it dry for at least 24 hours (if you work with powder pigments that need preparation not dilution, rinse with water after they're dry and iron them at high temperature).
You can make different designs by changing the pinch, the twists and the colors. I can't wait to experiment with brighter pigments, but until then here is the rainbow... after rain:
PS. Accessorize with a big flower brooch and a carefree attitude!
