Lifestyle

Different Ways To Tie Dye

If we have to discuss one of the biggest Fashion trends of 2020, then it has to be Tie- Dye. This trend which was popular in the US back in the 1960s as a part of the ‘Hippie’ and Psychedelic Cult, has made a fierce comeback. Celebrities, Fashion Houses, Influencers  — it has been an absolute favorite of many.  And due to the Pandemic and the subsequent Lockdown, it has become all the more popular among the Masses given how easily it can be DIY-ed.

In this blog, we will be not just giving more insights into this major Fashion Trend but also give you a very easy tutorial on how to DIY this technique at your home

Tie Dye Techniques

With the rising popularity of Tie-Dying, there are several methods and techniques to it, resulting in some beautiful styles in themselves. What also owes to this experimentation is how easily all of these styles can be done by anybody.

The following are some popular techniques used in Tie-Dye

1. Bull’s Eye Tie-Technique
2. Spiral Tie-Dye Technique
3. Shibori Technique ( A Japanese Form of Tie-Dye)
4. Ombre Tie-Dye Technique
5. Crumpled Tie-Dye Technique
6. Striped Tie-Dye Technique
7. Sunburst Technique and many more.

How To TIE-DYE At Home ( DIY TIE-DYE)

In this blog, we will be listing out the steps of one of the most popular techniques of Tie-Dye, so that you can easily DIY and wear it off to streets embracing your new mask look!

Here’s how you can do it:

1. Bull’s Eye Technique

• Take a plain colored T-shirt (preferably a white T-shirt). Make sure it’s damp and natural fiber fabric and lay it on a table.
• For the Bull’s Eye Technique, choose the part of the fabric which would act as the center of the bull’s eye.
• Now pinch and pull the chosen part of the fabric (which would be the center of the bull’s eye) upwards and secure the other end of the fabric with our other hand.
• Now tie a rubber band approximately 1-2 inches from our chosen center. Then tie rubber bands after every 1-2 inch of the fabric and continue doing it till the end. It should essentially look like a long tube.
• Now take your chosen dye colors and squirt them well in the chosen areas, for the desired look.

2. Spiral Or Swirl Technique

• Take the fabric and lay it flat on the table.
• Now we pinch the center of the fabric and start twisting the fabric into a circular motion.
• Continue this until all of the fabric is gathered and looks like a wedge-shaped ball.
• Secure the spiral with three rubber ties to sustain the wedge effect.
• Now add desired dyes onto the fabric. 
• Flip the fabric and repeat the process of squirting the dye into the fabric.

3. Shibori Tie-Dye Technique

• For the Shibori Technique, lay the fabric on the table, and make accordion folds onto the fabric, from the bottom edge to the top part of the fabric in even folds.
• Now again fold the fabric( again into accordion folds) from one end to the other, till the fabric turns into a lump of folds.
• Take three rubber ties and wrap it around the fabric in criss-cross directions, tightly securing the folds in a criss-cross direction.
• Now squirt the desired colors into the fabric on both ends and let it dry for the prints to be bold and visible.

4. Ombre Tie-Dye Technique

• Lay the fabric on the table and make sure it’s damp enough. 
• Squirt the desired color from the top end of the fabric.
• Now take a large wet brush and using downward strokes to blend the color downwards to create a blend and a color saturation. Use color and water are accordingly used in getting  the proper blend
• Once the desired blend for the first the color is done, now the same steps are repeated for the other chosen colors.
• Once the fabric has been dyed, hang the fabric and let it dry for the colors and patterns to be bright enough

5. Crumpled Tie- Dye Technique

• Take the damp fabric into the workspace and scrunch the fabric to a crumpled mound. Keep the crumples loose or tight according to the style preferred. Tight crumples will give a more defined and crisp look.
• Now secure the crumples of the mound with rubber ties and squirt dye all over the fabric. 
• Keep the fabric inside a plastic or a bag for the fabric to remain damp while the dye dries.
• The Crumpled Tie-Dye Fabric is ready to be used.

6. Striped Tie-Dye Technique

• Lay the damp fabric and make pleats of the fabric in horizontal or vertical lines, as per the stripes desired.
• Now one the fabric is pleated, secure the pleats of the fabric. Add as many rubber bands and space them as desired.
• Once this is done, squirt the chosen colors and let the fabric dry for 6-8 hours.
• Voila, DIY Striped Tie-dye Fabric is ready.

7. Sunburst Tie-Dye Technique

• Lay the Damp cloth on the table and pinch a small portion of the cloth upwards to 1-2inch respectively.
• Now secure a rubber band tightly around the pinched part of the cloth. This is the sunburst. 
• Repeat the above steps for as many sunbursts as desired.
• Now squirt the chosen dyes into the sunbursts.
• Fill the other chosen dye into the remaining part of the fabric.
• Let it dry for 6-8 hours till the prints are bold and bright

Important Tips To Tie Dye

While Tie-Dye is definitely one of the simplest techniques to do at our homes, one should, however, keep certain tips in mind to ensure their entire endeavor with this process results in a success and not in disappointment.

So while doing Tie-Dye at home, make sure you keep the following tips in mind your mind to get the best bold prints –

• Make sure your Fabric is Pre-Washed. Pre-Washing the Fabric will ensure the apparel is of the right fit, as sometimes fabric shrinks and also removes any possible dirt so that the dye saturates better.
• Also, it is important to ensure the fabric when you are going to Tie-Dye should be Damp, but not wet. You would want the color to penetrate and saturate well, but not drip.
• Make sure you secure the ties of the cloth tightly. This ensures the color penetrates and saturates better and you get the desired style and pattern.
• For Tie-Dye to be a success it is important to Squirt the color well into the folds and Squeeze the folds of fabric to ensure the color penetrates well inside the cloth. Make sure you Use Powdered Color and mix it with water in Squirt Bottles to get the perfect bold prints. 
• Lastly, after the dye has been squirted, keep the fabric inside a plastic packet or bag to ensure that while the dye is drying the cloth remains damp. This will ensure big and bold prints

Are you ready to make yourself an entirely new and stylish outfit, that too, at home? We hear a big YES!

8 Fabric Painting Techniques With Steps

One of the factors that we notice at our first glance at a piece of clothing is its patterns. Fabric painting is the aspect that gives clothing a character and makes it unique from others and fabric painting techniques to achieve the uniqueness. Many people do fabric painting as a hobby and consider fabric one of the best canvases for showcasing their creativity.

The roots of fabric painting techniques began in Asia and dated back to about 3000 B.C. However, the fabric painting is now mostly industrialized, but several artisans and professionals still try to preserve the hand-made method.  

This article has discussed some of the most popular fabric painting techniques that anyone can try at home. We have also included instructions to execute each type of fabric painting technique for the ease of readers.

1. Batik Fabric Painting Technique

Batik Print is prevalent in India, and it is one of those fabric painting techniques that require a lot of preparation and supervision. Mainly one has to use paint and wax to do batik fabric painting. The process for creating batik print on the fabric is:

• Gather all the materials required like a pencil, muslin cloth, scissors, newspaper, plastic sheet or tarp, fabric dyes, water, melted beeswax or batik wax, etc.
• Create a layout of your design on the fabric.
• Apply the first layer of wax using a brush on the areas you want white in the end.
• Apply the second layer of wax on the other side once the first layer dries.
• Crack the wax in some areas where you want to create the crackle effect.
• Apply dye all over the fabric and let it dry.
• Remove the wax by ironing the fabric after keeping it in between newspapers.
• Once all the melted wax transfers to the newspaper, enjoy the finished product.

2. Block Fabric Painting Technique

One of the oldest techniques of fabric painting is the block painting. Earlier people used vegetables to create stamps with desired patterns for block fabric painting techniques. Earlier, people commonly used cotton fabric for block print, but now people use other fabrics too. However, it is best to avoid fuzzy woolen fabrics because the pattern gets distorted due to dye spreading. The steps for block printing on fabric are:

• Keep your stamps clean and ready, along with your paint.
• Prepare the fabric by washing and ironing.
• Stretch and fix the fabric, for it is essential to get rid of all wrinkles.  
• Dip the stamp in the paint.
• After that, press the stamp on the fabric in the desired area and leave it for 2-3 seconds.
• Then keep repeating the last two steps until the entire fabric is more or less covered.
• Let the paint dry, and your fabric will be ready to use.

3. Dot Painting Technique

The dot fabric painting is one of the easiest techniques and ideal for beginners. This fabric painting technique requires very few tools, but the results can be very vibrant if done creatively.

One can use several types of dot painting types, like cotton, poly blend, denim, rayon, terry cot, canvas, silk, flannel, etc.

The steps for doing dot fabric painting are:

• Keep your materials ready, like paint, cheap earbuds, a pencil, and a thin stick.
• Before painting, prepare your fabric by washing and ironing.
• Either you can come up with your design or search on the internet for dot fabric painting ideas for some inspiration.
• Dip one end of an earbud into paint and press on the desired area (on the fabric) and repeat until your design is complete.
• Let it dry before showing it to others.  

4. Finger Painting Technique

The finger fabric painting is one of the most liberating fabric painting techniques because you get to create beautiful art by just using your fingers.

The finger fabric painting is a simple technique and requires significantly fewer tools or materials. To make finger fabric painting, all one has to do is:

• Sketch out a simple design of your choice on the fabric using a pencil.
• Dip your finger in paint and start painting on the fabric using just your finger.
• Have a blast like kids do to create this artwork.
• After finishing the painting, let it dry, and once it gets dry, enjoy the finished product.

5. Freehand Fabric Painting Technique

The freehand fabric painting technique is ideal for confident about their painting skills but wishes to experiment with their art on fabric. There are many fabric options available that anyone can choose for doing freehand painting, like cotton, denim, canvas, silk, linen, etc. The steps for doing freehand fabric painting are:

• Choose your tools (brushes, paints, etc.) right.
• Prepare your fabric before painting by washing and ironing, if possible.
• Sketch out the design you wish to make (some flowers and vines are great prompts for freehand fabric painting).
• Be confident about your design and your skill, and proceed with a steady hand.
• Take liberal amounts of the paint you are using on the brush and carefully color your design.
• Shading gives excellent results; therefore, blend those darker shades outside of the background with the lighter ones in front.  
• Let the paint dry and then flaunt your art.

6. Outliner Fabric Painting Technique

The Outliner Fabric Painting is a technique in which one has only to do the entire design outline using paint and a very thin brush. You can use almost all types of fabrics for the outliner fabric painting technique. The steps involved in doing outliner fabric painting are:

• Other than paint, choose the right brush to create neat lines like the 00 brush.
• Madhubani designs or mandala art styles are ideal for this kind of fabric painting.
• You can choose two or more paints to create a 3D effect.
• Once you are satisfied with the finished design, let it dry, and then the fabric will be ready to use.

7. Spray Fabric Painting Technique

The process of spray fabric painting is very similar to that of spray paint on paper. You can paint almost any type of fabric using this technique.

The steps in the spray fabric painting technique are:

• Fill a sprayer bottle of the desired size with color (or water mixed with dye).
• Test the sprayer on a rough fabric or paper.
• Cut out a random design or use a stencil and set it on your desired area on the fabric.
• Spray the paint on the fabric and let it dry.
• Remove the cutout or the stencil, and the design will reveal.

8. Wet-On-Wet Fabric Painting Technique

The wet-on-wet fabric painting technique is very similar to doing watercolor on paper.

The steps for creating the wet-on-wet fabric painting effect are:

• Decide your design, and you might also outline it with a pencil.  
• Wet the fabric strategically. Don’t wet the fabric too much near the outline so that the fabric does not spread outside.  
• In this technique, you have to take very little paint on a wet brush and then apply it to a wet fabric piece.
• Use a liberal amount of water while fabric painting to notice the color blend across the fabric.
• Let the fabric and the paint dry, and then it will be ready to be worn.

Final Note

Now that you are aware of most of the top fabric painting techniques, you can get started on your chosen technique. We hope that this article guides and inspires you to create magnificent fabric art.

Oversized T Shirt Cutting Ideas:

Oversized T-shirts are often ignored as outdoor wear and end up getting used as pajamas instead. Get those super baggy T-shirts out of the lower drawers of your cupboard and give them the makeover they deserve. Read on to see the top types of clothing you can make out of oversized T-shirt cutting. 

There are quite a number of methods you can use to up-cycle an over-sized tee that may end up in the trash bin. Here are some oversized t shirt cutting ideas. Check out more t shirt cutting techniques in a step by step procedures.

Choker Neck Oversized Tee: 

Instead of worrying about what neckpiece to wear with your attire, let your T-shirt act as a choker. One of the most effortless cutting techniques is used to make the choker T-shirt.

For making this, you need an oversized T-shirt that closely fits the neck. Other than that, you need a marker and a scissor. Draw a V shape using a marker, leaving some border to act as the choker. Then cut out the marker area and stretch it out, and your choker neckline top will be ready.

Cold Shoulder And Fringe Detailed Tee: 

This is another trendy T-shirt cutting technique that you can try at home in Cold Shoulder And Fringe Detail.

All you need is an oversized T-shirt (in this picture, the girl uses a cold shoulder cut T-shirt) and scissors. Cut the fringes at the end of the T-shirt and that too in a straight line, preferably. Tie the knots with those fringes gradually, and your fringe top is ready to knack up your style. 

How To Cut A Big T Shirt Into A Tank Top?

You can easily make a stylish tank top from a T-shirt without the need for sewing.

To make this, you need an oversized T-shirt (preferably not see-through), scissors, a ribbon, pins, and fabric glue.

1. Start by cutting off both sides’ sleeves, from about an inch below your armpit to up to your neck.
2. Then cut the collar for creating a more comfortable neckline (you can either cut on the original seam line or go lower if you want).
3. Cut the back of the T-shirt, as shown in the picture.
4. After that, pinch and hold the two sides at the armpit to wrap using the ribbon.

After the material is banded and the edges are pinned and glued, tie a knot with the ribbon. Voila! You have a tank top ready to flaunt. 

Sleeveless Low Arm Cut Vest: 

The process of cutting this T-shirt is the same as the last technique. Here you have to use a longer T-Shirt so it is best to use a men’s T-Shirt of XL size or a size that will suit your figure. 

For making this vest, you will also need to cut the sleeves longer than the last one for more skin exposure. This vest will be perfect for people who are into sports or dance or for those who are searching for a better gym wardrobe.

Side Knot Sleeveless Tank Top: 

This T-shirt cutting technique is pretty self-explanatory, yet for the ease of readers, we will provide the process of making this. For this, you need an average size or maybe a slightly oversized T-Shirt and scissors.

Cut the entire sleeves off (both sides) and extend the cut from the armpit region to the end of the T-Shirt (vertically). The T-Shirt will look as if the sides are torn, hence tie the ends of the cut T-Shirt as shown in the picture, and you will have a great side knot sleeveless T-shirt to go perfectly with for your sports bras.  

Front Knot Sleeveless Top: 

Ever wondered about making a tank top with a front knot out of your old T-shirt? Well, you can make this without having to learn sewing. All you have to do is follow the instructions shown in the pictures, and you will have a great outfit out of old closet junk with the help of a few quick cuts. This tank top will look great on teenagers and match well with your skinny jeans or short skirts. 

How To Make An Oversized T Shirt Into A Dress

T-shirt dresses are in trend for a few years now. Instead of buying a new dress from the market, you can use your old oversized T-shirt to make a dress yourself.

Lace Detailed T-Shirt Dress: 

You require a long T-shirt, scissors, a long piece of lace (for borders), a needle, and thread to make this dress. Sew the broad lace strip to the end hem of your T-shirt as well as to the hem of your sleeves, as shown in the pictures. The lace will make the dress look very elegant, and you can add a belt to your outfit to enhance the look. 

Cute Cut-Out Summer Dress: 

You can DIY this dress if you own a slightly longer T-shirt that you wish to modify.

For making this dress, you need a long length T-shirt, scissor, needle, and thread.

1. Place the tee flat on the floor or on your preferred setup.
2. Cut the tee into two at the crop top length from the top.
3. Slit the center front and joint the ends forming a loop as shown.
4. Then, slit the center front of the bottom half.
5. Take one end from above and the other end from the below of the loop of the top half.
6. Stitch the ends, make sure the stitch is hidden behind the wrong side.

This flirty summer dress is perfect for staying cool on sunny days.

How To Cut A Large T Shirt To Make It Smaller

Oversized Tee into Lattice T-Shirt: 

To make the Lattice T-shirt, you need a T-shirt of your choice, ruler or tape, marker or chalk, and studs. Start by drawing lines on the sleeves of the T-shirt. Cut along the lines marked, just like it is shown in the image. Add studs to hold on to the stripes of fabric and create a pattern out of the vertical stripes. You can also detail the T-shirt’s end by tying a knot like it is shown in the picture. The finished look will be bold and attractive for you to flaunt in college or on a movie night. 

Side Tide T-Shirt: 

As you can see in the photos, a very simple T-shirt can be turned into a trendy and bold knot detailed T-shirt.

To make the knots, you need a casual wear T-shirt along with a sharp pair of scissors. Cut the sides of the T-shirt (as shown in the photos) and tie the edges cut on both sides with each other. Once all you are done tying all, then you are ready to rock your attire. This T-shirt making requires no sewing hence makes the task a child’s play. 

Final Note

Most of the T-shirt cutting techniques we described in this article are easy to execute. By following the clothing transformation process rightly, you will get striking results to pump up your style game like never before. And the best about DIY T-shirt making is that it can be done with the things usually lying around in your home, hence costs no money. I hope this article helped in providing some ideas that might be useful to you. 

Top 10 Lightweight Fabrics To Wear In Summers:

Summer is one of the greatest seasons, and in this season, the style of our wardrobe completely changes. Besides adding a new design to the summer clothes collection, you must choose the right fabric for your project. The stylish and smart look, excluding the sweat patches in the current heatwave, is possible by choosing the correct fabric to wear. During summer, you must wear breathable, lightweight fabrics while still remaining heavy on look. There are also many types of fabrics and their uses listed for you.

Wearing the correct type of fabric in the hot and humid summer season will suit you perfectly to enjoy the outdoors. Here is a list of 10 lightweight fabrics for summer that is best to wear in the summer season.  

What Are The Best Summer Lightweight Fabrics?

Cotton

Cotton is one of the best natural fabrics that suit the hot weather. It is hugely available, and its price is also low. Cotton is great summer wear. You can find cotton wear to fit pretty much in any need. The importance of wearing cotton clothes during the hot summer season are:

• Cotton is the first pick and an obvious choice for any fabric lover.
• Cotton allows the heat to escape from the body and maintains the body to remain cool.
• It is soft, breathable, and lightweight, and it soaks up sweat.
• It comes in different colors and styles.
• Different qualities of cotton blends are available such as dotted swiss most suited for summer.
• Cotton got pretty wrinkled, but the presence of cotton polyester will prevent you from using iron and will also help to smarten up.
• Cotton also provides you plenty of flexibility for any designs that you have in your mind.

Linen

Linen is also considered as another top choice as a summer outfit. The features of Linen fabric are:

• Linen is a breathable fabric, and it is lightweight.
• Linen allows the heat to escape from the body as it is lightly woven.
• It dries quickly by absorbing the moisture from the body and keeps the body cool and dry.
• Linen tends to be a stiff fabric, but it does not mean that it will stick to the body.
• Pretty often, Linen clothes also get wrinkled, but it is liked by a lot of people and views it as a part of the style and look of Linen.
•  It is also very easy to wash and dry Linen.

Silk

To wear silk in the summer season is quite surprising, but silk can retain heat. The features of silk fabric are:

• Silk is a lightweight fabric, and it shows patches and other unpleasant signs that indicate that the sun is getting to a little too much.
• It is proven to be gorgeous light garments when loosely woven.
• Silk fabrics offer a touch of elegance that outweighs their inherent fragility.
• Silk also helps to retain cool body temperature. 

Chiffon

Chiffon fabric is a great choice to wear in the summer season. The features of Chiffon fabric are:

• Chiffon fabric is used in many different ways, which creates a splash of elegance.
• Chiffon ensures that the heat does not overwhelm the wearers.
• This fabric is ideal for dresses and particularly for bridal wear.
• It is used perfectly in the creation of nightgowns and other evening wear and helps to stay comfortably on hot summer nights.
• Chiffon is available in different colors and styles.

Jersey

Jersey is an excellent fabric with lightweight, which makes it absolutely suitable for summer wear. The features of Jersey fabric are:

• Jersey fabric often gets blended with cotton to make it a bit rugged.
• This fabric won’t weigh the wearer at all, and it is extremely flexible.
• It can be worked out in most of the designs, and it offers excellent levels of comfort.
• Jersey fabric is just appropriate for summer loungewear.
• This fabric is available in a number of colors and is great for t-shirts and other garments.

Chambray Over Denim For Summer

Chambray, popularly known as Denim fabric, is great summer wear. The features of Denim fabric are:

• Denim fabrics are very tightly woven cotton.
• Denim is breathable, and it is sweat-absorbent, just like cotton.
• It tends to be heavier fabric, and that is why Chambray Chambray is a lighter version of Denim and is a lot lighter than Denim fabric.
• It is excellent for t-shirt dresses, and it adds a little bit of variety to your summer wardrobe collection.

Seersucker Lycra

Seersucker Lycra fabric is ideal for sporty types, and it gives a lot of flexibility. The features of this fabric are:

• This fabric offers an increased level of breathability and lightness.
• It is an excellent fabric for gym wear and also for those who want to give their own bicycle shorts a bash.
• Seersucker lycra is a fashionable fabric and a sister fabric of cotton.
• It is used in shorts, shirts, and blazers and balances polish, laid-back and preppy.

Satin

Satin is a lightweight and comfortable fabric for a summer outfit. The features of Satin fabric are:

• Satin fabrics are dressy, and they adjust to the temperature of your body.
• They are glossy silk works for occasions in summer.
• They are not the most absorbent and breathable fabric, but its darker hues will avoid the visibility of the sweat stains on the sticky days.

Rayon

Rayon is a man-made fabric and it is made by blending cotton, wood pulp, and other synthetic or natural fibers. The features of Rayon fabric are:

• Rayon was invented as a cheaper alternative to silk, and thus, it also makes the silk to be a good fabric to wear in the summer season.
• Rayon allows breathing more than other fabrics as it is made up of very thin fibers.
• It is a lightweight fabric and prevents sticking to the body during the hot summer season.
• Rayon is especially good for summer wear and sportswear, as it is very much comfortable to wear and allows cooling.
• While washing with hot water, Rayon fabric gets wrinkled, so you can wash in cold water, but dry cleaning is recommended in the case of Rayon fabric wear to avoid damage and shrinkage.

Polyester

Polyester is a great choice for lounging in the summer season. The features of Polyester fabric are:

• Polyester is a superior alternative to cotton and linen.
• It is an excellent wicking material, and it draws sweat away from the body, which allows the sweat to evaporate much more quickly.
• This fabric makes an effective choice for athletic wear when blended with something like Rayon fabric.
• Polyester blend summer clothing is lightweight and the best for summer wear.

Conclusion

For many people, the summer season tends to be a season of stains and dirt.  But don’t let the stains ruin your summer days and avoid them by wearing some lightweight fabrics in the summer season. Clear your worries and choose the summer fabric that suits best for you.