Set aside three to four buckets so that you can have a variety of colors. Blue, red, orange and green are some of the more popular choices, but really the decision depends on your taste. The dye can be any clothing dye, easily available at the local grocery store. Make the dye solution so that it is deep enough to allow easy submersion of cloth. The recommended minimum is 6 to 8 inches.
The most common article of clothing for tie dying is a plain white tee shirt, mainly because these shirts are inexpensive. If you goof up your tie dye or just don't like the resulting pattern, it won't cost too much to try again. To prepare the tee shirt, lay it flat on the ground and lift up on the center of the chest. Once you have the material gathered firmly in your hand, begin twisting it in a tight coil. Do this until you have the material wrapped into a tight sausage several inches in length. With a strong rubber band, tie the sausage snug, making sure the rubber band will not slip. Repeat this until the entire shirt is tied and banded in neat sections. This is what determines the pattern with which you will ultimately end up.
Dip the segmented bands into the various dye buckets. Just make sure you only dye one section at a time. This is how you control the alternating appearance of color on the tee shirt. Once you have fully dyed the shirt, hang it up for about 30 minutes, still in its ties, allowing it to dry in the fresh air. When the shirt appears to be dry, remove the rubber bands and let the shirt unfold. You should see intricate swirls and spirals where the ties have segmented the different dye areas. If you want to change the finished result, experiment by tying different segment sizes and locations. The various patterns you can create are virtually endless.