Ok tie dying clothing with dye bottles is super fun, but have to ever tried to tie dye with markers? It’s so cool and turns out super vibrant! Check out the supplies list below to grab all the supplies needed, then come along with us as we try this fun tie dye technique!
Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. That means that at no extra cost to you, we may receive a small commission if a purchase is made.
Supplies Needed to Tie Dye with Markers
- Sharpie markers or Shuttle Art Alcohol Based Markers – for this to work, the markers must be alcohol based. The dye in alcohol based markers doesn’t rinse off with water (but will run or tie dye with alcohol). Regular washable markers are water based and will rinse away with water, so they can’t be used for this project.
- Cotton shirt – We always get the 100% cotton tshirts from Fruit of the Loom that we have linked here. There’s also these 100% cotton tank tops that would be a good option.
- Rubber bands
- Isopropyl alcohol – This is regular rubbing alcohol that you can get as 70% up to 99%
- Pipettes – this supply item is optional but recommended for younger children to help handle the isopropyl alcohol
How to Tie Dye with Markers
1. First, lay your cotton tee out straight on a flat surface.
2. Then place your finger in the center and start twisting as the shirt starts wrapping around your finger. Check out the picture below for reference.
3. Continue twisting and wrapping until the whole shirt is wrapped into a spiral circle. This is creating the concentric swirls seen in tie dye shirts.
4. Next, use the rubber bands to wrap around the twisted shirt to hold it in place. See the picture below for reference.
5. Next, use the markers to color all the sides of the wrapped shirt.
6. Then pour the rubbing alcohol over the shirt in a well ventilated area. Make sure all of the areas that have marker on it is getting wet. Once the alcohol touches the alcohol based markers, you’ll see the colors start spreading over the shirt. So cool!
This step should be supervised by an adult while pouring the alcohol. Using pipettes to squirt the alcohol onto the shirt may be a better option for younger kids or those that could use the fine motor exercise.
7. Next leave the shirt outdoors to dry. This may take about 24 hours.
8. Once dry, rinse the shirt in the sink with dish soap to remove any excess dye.
9. Then run the shirt in the washing machine and dryer. The shirt should go through the wash cycle alone so that the dyes do not bleed onto other clothing.
10. Now your shirt is ready to enjoy!!
