Another spiral, because I'm not yet brave enough to try more complex folding techniques, but I like spirals, so this is still good. The color balance could be better, and the green dye isn't as dark as I would have liked it to be, and I used purple dye because Tulip doesn't sell grey dye, but it is what it is. This time I used some new dyeing techniques: I black-backed the shirt, where you cover the back of the shirt with a thin layer of black dye and leave it to set with the back of the shirt facing down. Instead of full penetration, it creates the black "spokes" effect you see here. I did this by accident with my first shirt, but this time I did it intentionally. This was also my first tie-dye made using soda ash solution, which is supposed to help the dye bond better with the cellulose fibers to make the shirt more vibrantly colorfast.

I made this with a 100% cotton T-shirt and Tulip-brand green, purple, brown and black dyes. I soaked the shirt in soda ash solution (water dissolved with a packet of Tulip-brand soda ash), and wrung it out to slightly damp before tying and dyeing.

I think I'm gradually coming to peace with my inability to fully penetrate the dye into the large white areas of the shirt. This time I did indeed try to work the dye into the folds of the shirt, but I was complicated by a variety of factors:
+ I wear 2XL-size shirts whose relatively large fabric area means a greater number of fabric folds and deeper fabric folds where dye fails to reach. Trying to "feather" the folds as you twist the fabric is only so easy, after all.
+ Tulip dyes lose potency about 30 minutes after you mix the warm water into them. I try to apply the dye carefully and methodically. Some people tie-dye quickly—I do not.
+ It started raining during the process, and I had to plastic-wrap the shirt quickly and take it inside. Yes, I tie-dye outdoors wearing latex gloves. Tie-dyeing indoors is not recommended because of the risk of permanent dye stains and noxious high-pH chemicals on indoor surfaces.