Food coloring is an acid-based dye. It does not work well on cotton, linen, and other plant-based fabrics.
For smaller amounts of fabric and child-sized shirts, use 1/2 cup (120 mL) of water, and 1/2 cup (120 mL) of white vinegar. For larger amounts of fabric and adult-sized shirts, use 2 cups (475 mL) of water, and 2 cups (475 mL) of white vinegar. [2] X Research source
Spirals Stripes Starbursts Crumpled
This method works best on T-shirts. You can make several mini swirls on a large T-shirt.
This technique works best on T-shirts.
For a bright combination, try red/pink, yellow, and orange. For a cool combination, try blue, purple, and pink.
If your water bottle has a standard, flat cap (as opposed to a sports-type nozzle), poke a hole in the cap with a thumb tack. [3] X Research source You can use plastic squeeze bottles instead. You can find them in the baking section or the tie dye section of a craft store.
Food coloring can stain your hands. You might want to wear plastic gloves for this step.
If you are using just 1 color for the entire piece, then use that color for each section.
Be aware that the colors will be faded once the shirt dries. This is the nature of using food coloring as a dye. Do not use a dryer if you used silk, wool, or nylon.
