Fabric painting and dyeing are creative ways to decorate textiles. With these techniques, you can design unique, colourful fabrics that express your personal style. They combine art and craft – and both require some preparation, practice, and imagination.

Painting is a popular way to decorate textiles — you can paint directly on fabric or clothes. There are many kinds of paints, such as glitter, glow-in-the-dark, matte, or 3D paints.

Brush-on paints create a soft, blended effect, while squeeze-tube paints are great for outlines and raised details. Paint markers are the easiest for beginners.

Before painting, always wash the fabric — but never use fabric softener. Cotton or cotton-polyester blends work best.

After painting, the fabric needs to rest for at least 48 hours before washing, so the paint can set properly.

Tie-dyeing is a colourful technique that became famous in the 1960s in the United States – but similar methods existed long before. The process includes folding, twisting, pleating, or crumpling the fabric. This is called resist, because it prevents some areas from absorbing dye. The tied fabric is then dyed, often more than once, to add multiple colours.

Tie-dyeing usually results in bright, bold patterns like spirals, mandalas, or peace signs. For a large sunburst pattern, tie the centre of the fabric; for smaller effects, make several tight ties all around. The best results come with cotton or cotton-blend materials.