This gravity-inspired tie-dye hoodie turned out so good! In this post, I’ll walk you through exactly how I created this loose fanfold design using one of my new favorite colors — Mind Bender. It’s a cool purple that splits into blue. If you love flowy, effortless dye patterns, you’re going to want to try this one.
Materials I Used
- 100% cotton hoodie (turned inside out. I use Tultex)
- Procion dye in Mind Bender (regular, not X or B)
- Ice (for the dye-over-ice method)
- Plastic gutter (about 3 ft long)
- Gloves and dust mask
- Dawn dish soap
- Cool and hot water for rinsing
Watch the full process on YouTube for a step-by-step look!
Step 1: Fold the Hoodie (Inside Out!)
First things first: make sure your hoodie is turned inside out. This step is especially important with fleece-lined hoodies because if you don’t, the outside and inside will take the dye very differently. Turning it inside out helps everything absorb evenly and prevents that one-side-darker look.
Next, accordion fold your hoodie in a loose, slightly circular motion. Think of it like a relaxed fanfold, not too tight, not too perfect. The looser folds help the dye “flow” naturally, which gives that beautiful gravity effect once it melts through the ice.
Step 2: Set It in the Gutter
I placed my folded hoodie into a 3-foot plastic gutter (my favorite setup for ice dyeing larger pieces). Once it’s sitting snug, pile ice on top until the entire surface is covered. This project uses the dye-over-ice method, which is my go-to for getting unpredictable, organic color splits.
Step 3: Sprinkle on the Dye and Add Ice
I used one color for this entire hoodie — Mind Bender from DyeSpin. It’s a super popular color in the tie-dye community, and now I see why. I went light on the amount of dye because I wanted those beautiful color separations to really shine through.
Pro tip: If you’ve also been eyeing Candy Pop, it’s nearly identical to Mind Bender — so you can probably skip one if you already have the other! Candy pop is just a bit more pink than purple.
Step 4: Rinse It Out
Once batching is done and your ice has melted, it’s time to rinse. Hoodies take a long time to rinse because the fleece interior traps a ton of dye. Expect to spend about 10–15 minutes at the sink. I start with cool water to remove the bulk of the loose dye, then switch to hot water once it starts running clearer.
I rinse the hood and sleeves first, then move to the body. This keeps everything from becoming one giant clump of wet fabric. Once the water runs mostly clear, I add a little Dawn dish soap and keep rinsing until no more color comes out. The fleece areas should start to look lighter — that means you’re done!
Step 5: Wash and Dry
When you’re confident the excess dye is gone, run it through the washer on hot with your regular detergent or dyers detergent. After drying, the color will settle and soften beautifully. That’s when the magic really shows — those blue splits from Mind Bender give the hoodie so much depth!
Final Thoughts
I’m obsessed with how this turned out. The gravity-style flow gives it so much movement, and the Mind Bender color is just *chef’s kiss*. If you’ve never tried dyeing a hoodie before, just remember they take a little longer to rinse, but they’re absolutely worth the effort.
If you enjoyed this project, check out some of my other tutorials:
- Sinew vs Rubber Bands for Tie Dye
- One Color Tie Dye Projects That Still Look Amazing
- How to Tie Dye with Black
Don’t forget to grab my free printable guide with 12 tie-dye folds — it’s a perfect reference for your next project!
You can also shop my favorite dyeing tools and blanks on my Amazon storefront or check what’s currently available in my Etsy shop. Thanks for following along — can’t wait to see your gravity hoodies!
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