Have you ever tried gravity tie dye? Instead of letting your ice sit flat, gravity dyeing sets your project on an incline so the melting ice pulls color downward. This creates streaks, blends, and flowing designs that you just can’t get with regular ice dyeing. In this post, I’ll show you six different gravity tie dye techniques—each with a unique fold, setup, and final effect.
To see the full playlist of these gravity folds check it out here!
Folding your very first shirt? Here’s the most simple way to get started ice dyeing a t shirt.
The simple explanations for each of these folds is that you will fold up the shirt, put it in a gutter, and place it on an incline. So let’s get into some specific folds.
1. Quarter Fold Gravity Tie Dye
This version didn’t go exactly as planned—it was meant to be a true quarter fold, but the folds shifted and created a straight line. The result was still a stunning gravity tie dye shirt with pink, purple, and black using Interstellar, Himalayan Salt, and Raven Black. Even “mistakes” turn into happy surprises with gravity dyeing.
Here is another version of this fold that was a little more like what a true quarter fold would look like!
2. Roll Method Tie Dye
The roll method is one of the easiest ways to get started with gravity dye. I rolled the shirt in a straight line, folded it in half, and placed it in a gutter. Using Dharma’s Warrior Princess, Black Ice, and Avalon, the ice melted downward, creating natural color blends.
This is a great fold too if you only have one color. Especially if it’s a splitting color!
You can do this roll on all sorts of projects. I even did it on a button down!
3. Double Fan Fold Gravity Tie Dye
The double fan fold makes gorgeous circular ripples when used as a gravity ice dye. I let the ice melt for 48 hours over Dharma colors like Himalayan Salt, Son of a Peach, Spanish Lavender, Seafoam, and Teal Blue. The result was a soft, spring-like design that shows off the power of dye + gravity.
Here are some examples of this fold on two other projects! The one on the left was a swaddle made of bamboo and took the color beautifully, but it was pretty hard to fold!
4. Diagonal Gravity Tie Dye on a Sweater
You don’t have to stick to T-shirts—sweaters work too! I folded along a diagonal chalk line, tied with sinew, and set the sweater on an incline. Using Teal Blue and Deep Space, the gravity dye technique gave streaky, flowing lines. Keep in mind, poly blends (like this 50/50 sweater) won’t turn out as bold as 100% cotton.
I like doing this fold with two different colors! It makes it fun to do contrasting colors like blue and orange for ‘fire and ice’.
5. V Gravity Tie Dye
The V fold is dramatic and perfect for DIY gravity tie dye. I drew a diagonal line, folded along it, and tied tightly with sinew. Using Himalayan Salt, Son of a Peach, and Spanish Lavender, plus an extra hit of purple along the seam, the ice melt emphasized the bold V shape beautifully.
This fold also workes great upside down. Or you can use green and red to make it into a simple tie dye christmas tree!
6. Bright Fan Fold Gravity
For a bold and colorful effect, I used Kingfisher Blue, Lime Pop, Hot Hibiscus, and Deep Space in a fan fold. Gravity pulled the colors into each other, creating vivid streaks and blended sections. This style shows off how versatile gravity tie dye can be.
Liquid Dyes with Gravity Tie Dye
I did a whole post on liquid vs ice dyeing and I will tell you gravity dyeing just isn’t the same with liquid. You can still get a decent effect, but if you want results like the ones pictured here, I would suggest ice.
HERE’S A TIP!
Put a piece of a pool noodle in the bottom of the gutter to keep the ice in place when you elevate the gutter.
Supplies You’ll Need for Gravity Tie Dye
- 100% cotton shirts (or blends for softer effects)
- Procion MX fiber reactive dyes (my Amazon storefront)
- Waxed sinew and sinew puller
- Gutter or tray to create incline (I got a 8 foot one and I cut it into 1 ft, 2 ft, 3 ft and 4 ft peices.
- Ice cubes (cubed, crushed, or pebbled. Check out the difference of ice types here.)
- Soda ash soak (1 cup soda ash per gallon water)
- Gloves, buckets, and rinse setup
Final Thoughts
Gravity tie dye is one of my favorite ways to let color flow naturally. Whether you try the quarter fold, a bold V, or a soft fan fold, the incline setup adds movement and surprise to your designs. Don’t forget to grab my free ebook with 12 of my favorite folds, and check out my Etsy shop to see what’s available from my dye sessions.
