Casa Mai - Tie Dye Fancier Folds

There are many ways to fold and pleat for tie-dye including the basic bullseye pattern and simply scrunching. I prefer the control I get with precise pleats but there is always an element of serendipity in tie-dye.
Here are a couple of patterns that don't use pleating at all.
Triangles Fold the garment in half, then again vertically until you have a long narrow piece. Starting at the hem fold the corner diagonally forming a triangle. Repeat until the entire unit is folded into a small triangle rather like a turn-over. Bind diagonally across the sides and apply your dye. The lower left corner above shows the color application best. There's usually a lot of white with this fold because the final bound packet is rather thick.

3-color swirl
3-Color Swirl

the Swirl
The swirl is very popular as it's fairly simple yet yields a very dramatic result. Particularly when done with the basic three colors which when layered produce six vibrant colors. The shirt to the left was done with only fuchsia, turquoise and yellow, by overlapping these three colors you produce orange, purple and green. A different effect was achieved using six colors to start with and not overlapping any. Swirls can be done with all colors but keep in mind basic color theory.

To do the Swirl: lay garment face down, pinch up at point you want to be the center and twist. Vertical pleats will form, use your other hand to form and guide them.

6-Color Swirl

Secure the roll tightly with ties or rubber bands, dividing it into six equal sections. For a basic rainbow apply color as shown to left overlapping where two colors are shown (this makes the secondary colors).
Fuchsia, Purple & Turquoise This swirl is on the back of a raw silk tail-coat. A lot of white was left intentionally for contrast and there was little overlapping of colors.