How To Tie Dye a Rainbow Arch Pattern

  How many summers in a row did you have a designated tie dying day as a child? Five? Six? Maybe they never even stopped! Tie dying is one of the funnest, most creative, and awe-inspiring past times we have.

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How many summers in a row did you have a designated tie dying day as a child? Five? Six? Maybe they never even stopped! Tie dying is one of the funnest, most creative, and awe-inspiring past times we have.

But tie dye doesn’t only need to exist in our memories. Tie dye is just as cool today as it was back then, thanks to the stylish rainbow arch pattern. Want to learn more? Keep reading on for all things rainbow tie dye.

History of Tie Dye

Before we can discuss the latest trend in tie dye, we have to break down the origins of the color dying process first, to properly appreciate just how far we’ve come. When you hear the phrase “tie dye,” you probably think of hippies and the 1960s, right?

This may come as a surprise to you, but tie dye has been around for much longer than that, and doesn’t even have original roots in the United States. The earliest recorded tie dying processes date back thousands of centuries ago from places like Peru and India in 4,000 BCE. 

Tie Dye in China and Japan

In China, tie dye has been around since the Tang dynasty (618-907 CE) and has held a significant place in Japanese culture since the Nara period (710-784 CE). Back then, the “dye” was actually made from boiled berries, leaves, flowers, and roots.

The fabrics would then be soaked in the hot dyed water to absorb the natural dyes for a colorful clothing creation. The Chinese later went on to develop a type of tie dying technique called shibori, a method that favors indigo dye.

Even with original ties to China, though, the trend is considered to be a large part of Japanese culture due to its influence in the country during the 17th and 19th centuries. It was at this time in history that the members of the lowest classes were banned from wearing silk, so they took it upon themselves to find beauty within their own clothing. 

Tie Dye in the United States

Tie dye first made its mark on American culture during the Great Depression, when the U.S government would hand out pamphlets to citizens with tie dye instructions to encourage them not to buy new linens but rather to reinvent the linens they already had.

It became very popular to decorate the house with tie dye--curtains, tablecloths, and towels were just some of the many household items that were frequently tie dyed. Between the recycled linens and the use of blackberries, marigolds, onion skins, and red cabbage as a dye, the process was a wildly inexpensive way to enhance the appearance of a house and provide entertainment for children. 

Then, as we all know, the tie dye craze saw a resurgence during the 1960s when hippies co-opted the technique to visually express their experiences on psychedelics like LSD. This fashion statement also served as a rejection of everything their parents’ generation stood for.

The hippies of the 60s would use vibrant, neon-colored dye for their tie dye, which served as the perfect way to rebel against conservative dress codes and embrace individuality.

At this time, there wasn’t much knowledge on how to fold and wrap an item to achieve a desired pattern, so hippies were constantly pushing the tie dye boundaries and inventing one-of-a-kind designs in the process. 

Since the 60s, tie dye has come and gone many times. Most recently, the tie dye obsession was reignited during the COVID-19 crisis, when people were encouraged to shelter at home to prevent the spread of the virus. Not only did tie dying make for a fun activity to pass the time, but it also served as a creative outlet for many who had their usual creative outlets taken from them. Not to mention, the bright colors and glamorous patterns made for an easy and safe way to put a smile on people’s faces. 

It’s extremely impressive that the human race has sustained a love for tie dye after all these years, especially when you consider that tie dye is still culturally relevant in many countries. In India, for example, the tie dying technique known as “bandhani” is still being used in weddings and funerals to this day. 

Tie Dye in 60s Pop Culture

Though tie dye saw a rise in popularity because of its unique designs and individualistic properties, it quickly became a part of the mainstream after it was endorsed by the rock stars of the 1960s. The Grateful Dead had an almost infamous fanbase, called the Deadheads, who were known to follow the band on the road wherever they went.

Jerry Garcia, Phil Lesh, and the rest of the members of the band were big adopters of the tie dye trend, so it came as no surprise to them when their followers began wearing massive amounts of tie dye, as well.

Musicians like Janis Joplin, Joe Cocker, and John Sebastian all wore tie dye on stage during their respective Woodstock performances in an attempt to save the struggling dye company Rit. The company asked artists to tie dye and sell several hundred tie dyed t-shirts at the festival to help boost sales, and they obliged.

Considering that in today’s world, tie dye has become synonymous with how we picture and reference Woodstock, it’s safe to say that the favor turned out to be a success.

The Arch Pattern

Now that you’re up to date on tie dye’s storied history, it’s time to learn how to make the most sought-after tie dye pattern of today: the rainbow arch.

See below for more details:

What You’ll Need

  • Medium-sized container
  • Wire tray
  • Four one-ounce squeeze bottles
  • Fabric pen or washable marker
  • Rubber bands
  • Ziploc bag(s)
  • Rubber gloves 
  • Item you intend to tie dye

Instructions

  • Prepare your item by running it under water until damp
  • Lay your item on a flat surface. With a washable marker, draw the top and bottom of the rainbow arch
  • Fan-fold the fabric along both of the lines
  • Wrap a rubber band around each of the lines
  • Add four more evenly spaced rubber bands between the top and bottom bands
  • Set the wire tray over the opening of the container, and lay the fabric over the tray
  • With gloves, squeeze the dye directly onto each section of the fabric on both sides
  • When finished, place the freshly-dyed object into a Ziploc bag. Let it sit for eight to 24 hours before removing
    • The longer the dye sets, the brighter the colors will be.
  • In a sink or bathtub, rinse each item separately under warm water to remove any excess dye. Continue rinsing until the water runs clear
    • Note: the dye will transfer from one item to another when rinsing more than one item at a time.
    • Gloves can also be worn during this step to prevent nail staining.
  • Wash each item separately in the washing machine (or with items dyed with the same colors)
    • Set load to large, water to hot, and add a small amount of detergent
  • Dry each item individually without a dryer sheet

Trends We Love

We never really think of tie dye as being one of the oldest trends on the planet, but it’s the truth. Rainbow tie dye is just the most recent design in a long line of tie dye traditions.

So, the next time you wear or tie dye a rainbow arch yourself, don’t forget to acknowledge the historical and cultural contexts that the practice originated from. 

Sources: 

hippie History, Lifestyle, & Beliefs | Britannica

What Is Shibori? How the Textile Is Made | House Beautiful

Fashion of the 1930s | Peoples History

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