Use marbles, coins and rubber bands to make a pattern of circles all over the shirt. Place a marble or coin under the shirt fabric. Twist the fabric around it and secure tightly with a rubber band. Repeat all over the shirt, on both sides. Apply the dye to the twisted areas with a spray bottle or plastic squeeze bottle. Use one or more colors of dye.
Make large, concentric circles that radiate from the center of a shirt. Lay the shirt flat. Decide where you want to position the center of the design. Pinch this section of fabric and tightly wrap a rubber band around it, about one inch from the top. Wrap the rest of the fabric with rubber bands every two to three inches. Dunk separate sections of the shirt in dye baths for three to five minutes. Use one or more colors.
Create a classic tie-dye spiral design. Lay the shirt flat. Decide where you want the center of the spiral to start. Pinch the cloth and fasten with a clothes pin. Twist the rest of the fabric in the same direction until it is completely twisted and fasten with two rubber bands. Dip sections of the shirt in the dye bath.
Fashion a design with vertical, horizontal or diagonal lines. For diagonals, lay the shirt flat and fold it into pleats that run diagonally. Fasten with rubber bands or pin the pleats to keep them tightly folded. For horizontal lines, lay the shirt flat and fold it into pleats that run across the shirt. For vertical lines, lay the shirt flat and fold it into pleats that run up and down the shirt. Fasten with rubber bands or pins. Immerse the shirt in the dye bath for 10 minutes. The dye will soak into the outer edges of the folds and will not reach the inner sections of the folds. Remove, rinse the shirt in water and allow it to dry. For more than one color, immerse one part of the folded shirt into a dye bath, remove, and immerse another part into a second dye bath. Repeat until all outer areas of the pleats are dyed.
Combine several techniques to achieve a variety of shapes and patterns. Use rubber bands, marbles, folding and twisting all over the shirt before dyeing. Or draw shapes and lines on the shirt by applying the dye directly with squeeze bottles.