The basic steps of creating a bandhani textile are as follows:

• Pre-preparation of fabric: The fabric generally used for tie and dye is finer variety of cotton and silk, so that dye can penetrate deep into the layers of tied fabrics. It is soaked in water overnight and washed thoroughly to remove the starch in order to improve its dye uptake. The fabric is bleached by drying it in the sun.
• Tracing of design: The fabric is folded into four or more layers for convenience of tying as well as to achieve symmetry in design. The design layout is marked on the folded fabric with wooden blocks, dipped in washable colours like neel or geru.
• Tying of fabric: as per the design, the folded fabric is raised with a pointed metal nail worn over the finger. A cotton thread coated with wax is wrapped tightly around the raised area to create a simple fine dot: bundi or bindi, which is the basic motif of the design.
• Dyeing of fabric in the lightest colour: after tying, the fabric is dyed in the lightest colour first from the selected colour scheme. After dyeing, fabric is washed, rinsed and dried.
• Renewal of tying and dyeing in next-darker colour: Parts of the fabric to be retained in the lighter colour are covered with tying and then the fabric is dyed in the next darker colour. The Process of re-tying and dyeing is continued till the darkest colour in the scheme is applied.
• Washing: Following the final dyeing, the textile is washed to remove excess dye and starched.
• Opening the ties: The ties of the tie-dyed fabric are kept tied till purchased by a consumer in order to differentiate between a bandhani textile and a printed imitation. Only a portion of the bandhani textile is opened to display the colour scheme to the customer. To unravel the ties, the bandhani textile is stretched crosswise to open all ties at the same time.