It's easy to do, great fun for kids and safe. It's hard in that the more you do, the better results you will get and the difference between your early designs and your later designs will be very noticeable. For preparing your fabric. For making the jelly-like solution that the paints float on. Some books recommend that you use it instead of Carrageenan.
Some books recommend it.
A large, flat, shallow, tray. Should be big enough to lay your fabric or shirt down flat onto the surface. Straws, sticks, toothpicks, etc. To swirl colors around with. Eye-droppers To apply the dye.