21 Reverse Tie Dye Folding Techniques with Pictures

You may have seen reverse tie dye before but did you know there was a technique to do it? 

In this post, I’ll show you 21 ways to fold a tie dye shirt or other piece of clothing using the reverse method.

Craft Supplies

Here’s what you need to get started.

1. Dry shirt

2. Squirt bottle (or several squeeze bottles)

3. Plastic bag

4. Bleach solution (part bleach and part cold water)

5. Rubber gloves

6. Elastic bands or rubber bands

7. Tie Dye kit

What is Reverse Tie Dye?

Reverse tie-dye is a way to dye a fabric item with bleach or bleach like solutions in order to get different patterns. 

Most people will only think of dyeing natural fibers like cotton but you can also use blended fiber fabrics. Since you use bleach, this technique works best with dark colors. Save your white t-shirt for a regular tie-dye craft project.

Besides bleach, you can also use toilet bowl cleaner, hydrogen peroxide, and even ice!

There are different ways to get lots of cool patterns with bleach tie-dyeing. Check out some of the ideas that you can try below.

21 Reverse Tie Dye Crafts – Different Folding Techniques

Spiral Pattern on Black T-shirt

This version starts with a clean black shirt. Of course, you can always use a different color, just as long as it’s dark. But, a black one will really give you the best results.

Lay your shirt flat, then pinch it from the center. Tie a rubber band a few inches below this point. Continue tying rubber bands at intervals of a few inches until you reach the end of the shirt. This will make the shirt into a long tube shape.

Not sure if you can toss it in the washing machine right away? See my tips for rinsing tie-dye.

Galaxy Twist

This will give you a nice twist pattern across the middle of the shirt. 

Spirograph Pattern

Mesmerizing is how I would describe this spirograph pattern. 

Pendulum Jeans

Set yourself apart with a pair of jeans tie-dyed with a pendulum.

Forest Scenery

The reverse dye style here gives you a beautiful starry night sky. Add the backdrop of the trees and the lazy, winding river, you got the perfect nature tie dye pattern.

Coffee Lovers Shirt

If you’re a coffee lover, then this shirt will make you smile. 

The funny quote added to the shirt works perfectly with this tie-dye design.

Sublimation tie-dye

Did you know that you can combine sublimation with a tie-dye shirt? Yep! Add straight bleach to a spray bottle, grab a loofah sponge and you’re on your way. See how it’s done on a Gildan heavy blend sweatshirt.

Ice Dye with Bleach

Wow, who would have thought that ice-dyeing was a thing? Well, it is. Curious about this new technique? You can get soft, beautiful patterns with ice.

Heart folding technique

How sweet is this gorgeous heart tie dye? The bright colors all over the shirt are eye-catching.

Triangle fold

The triangle fold is an easy way to try out a new folding pattern. This one uses regular dye but you can adapt it to bleach tie dye shirts. You’ll need a few other supplies.

Supplies:

• Dark t-shirt
• Triangle Cardboard Cut Out
• Thread
• Household bleach
• Tongs
• Drying Rack

Once you’ve got everything, pull the shirt apart and start folding the fabric into a triangle shape.

Grab some cardboard to make a triangle template. Use a cutter or sharp scissors to cut a straight line in the cardboard. 

Try it out on old clothes first if you’re worried about getting it wrong.

Accordion Rainbow 

It’s amazing the layers and color change that you get with this reverse accordion and rainbow scrunch overlay.

Circular Ripple

Shibori Style

Inspired from old world traditional methods of dyeing, shibori is one of the oldest forms of reverse tie dye techniques.

Upcycle DIY

Want to reuse an old t-shirt? You recycle or upcycle that shirt to get a fun bullseye design with this reverse tie dye project.

One side Kaleidoscope

Prefer a simple design? Then this one-sided kaleidoscope technique is one that you should try.

 Crescent Moon and Stars

For all the astrology fans, here is a reverse dye crescent moon and stars pattern on a black long sleeve shirt.

Upper Fan Fold Technique

Achieve a regal look with this fan fold technique done on the upper part of the t-shirt. The secret to the vertical stripes is in the way that you fold the fabric.

Heart Salt Resist

While this is not a folding technique, it’s still a great way to do reverse dyeing. You’ll use salt crystals on a dark colored shirt to make this cute little heart.

Half side rainbow style

Combine the geode folding technique, rainbow colors and the method of using only half of the garment in this maxi dress.

Chunky Spiral Dye Sweatpants

Go big with the chunky version of the spiral fold pattern like on this pair of sweatpants.

Crumble Fold Tie Dye Graphic tee

Looking for a way to make a set of shirts for a mom and daughter? The first step is to use a cut file to make a vinyl quote template then use the crumble fold technique to do the reverse tie-dye. 

Make one shirt for mom and a matching one for a little girl.

Want to save this for later? Pin it to your favorite DIY board on Pinterest! 

No time to read the post now? Save this to your favorite tie-dye board on Pinterest so that you can read it later. Feel free to write a comment below if you try any of these techniques.

More creative craft ideas! 

If you loved this list of ideas, then the next step is to try my other easy DIY craft ideas! 3 Ways to turn your craft into a digital product, Sublimation projects for beginners, 3 ways to add text to an image. 

FAQ – Reverse Tie Dye Folding Techniques