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We have all experienced the tragedy of a failed tie-dye project. You buy a plain white t-shirt, fold it carefully, squirt 10 different, incredibly bright bottles of dye onto the fabric, and put it in a plastic bag. Twenty-four hours later, you excitedly unfold the shirt, only to discover a swampy, hideous, muddy brown mess.
Tie-dye is not magic; it is fluid dynamics and color theory. When you put liquid dye onto fabric, it spreads. When two primary colors spread together, they create a secondary color. If you are not careful about which colors are placed next to each other, they will combine to create brown.
If you want your tie-dye to look crisp, professional, and radiantly colorful, you must obey the color wheel. Here is the ultimate guide to tie-dye color combinations that never fail.