Sunday, July 1, 2012

how to tie-dye

What screams summer more than tie-dyed shirts......nothing! 
This might be my new favorite thing......and it's so easy! I don't know why we've never done it before. The kids had so much fun picking their colors and patterns (I did the actual dying or it might have been just a huge giant mess little bit messy....)
No white shirt is safe now.....we will color the world. 

The cheapest way to tie-dye is to just get yourself a kit. (most craft stores carry them in all different sizes. I got mine at Joann and used the 40% coupon from their app) 
The kit has everything you need (dyes, application bottles, rubber bands, gloves) 
Grab some white tees, and an old sheet or blanket to put down over your work surface and you are set.
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Choose your pattern. 
The kit came with a few ideas, and I also found this nice little cheat sheet.
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Bulls eye pattern.
Lay the (damp) shirt flat, and pinch it in the center (this is your top)
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Pull the shirt up so it's long and skinny, and section it off with rubberbands. You can do as many sections as you like. Use the applicator bottle to color each section a different color. Don't over saturate the fabric, but make sure you get into all the creases and get all the white.
I left the bottoms edges white so the bottom color would "fade out" into white. 
fancy, I know.
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When you are done dying, wrap your shirt in plastic wrap and let sit at least 6 hours. 
Ours sat for about 12-the longer they sit, the deeper the colors will be. 
(It was SOOOO hard waiting to "unwrap" them to see what they looked like.)
After it's unwrapped, take the rubber bands off and put your washer on the largest load setting with warm water and a little bit of laundry soap. Wash and dry. 
(wash them separately from your other laundry, but I DID wash the two dyed shirts together)

Spiral Pattern
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On a damp shirt, pinch where you want the center of your spiral to be and twist. 
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Keep twisting until it's all the way wrapped up.
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Use three rubber bands to section the spiral into 6 sections. 
Color each section (do the backside as well).
Do the same as above (wrap in plastic, let rest for a least 6 hours, wash, dry)
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I told them to look "bored" in their white shirts. 
This is what I got. Zoolander and some kid sleeping. 
(and yeah, that kid needs a haircut)
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Just like that you have their new favorite shirt. 
Seriously, it is impossible to get them to wear anything else now.
....guess we'd better make more.

11 comments:

Kaitlyn Luce said...

I absolutely love love love tie dying! I have 8 tie dyed shirts. I worked at a summer camp where we did it every week. I had a nifty shirt for each day of the week. They are the best shirts to play in because the dirt just doesn't show up in them. And if it does...dye them again! ;-)

Kenny said...

Light bulb just went off for me. This is what we need to do with all those white Ts that get stains on them before the kids have grown out of them. OR baby onesies that have just one tiny spit up stain on them from their older brother/sister but are otherwise in perfect shape!

sheena said...

@kendall YES!! I'm pretty sure tie dye will solve all of the world's problems

Kathryn said...

this looks like so much fun! :)

Lillian said...

SO much fun!!

Hannah Mayo said...

Yes! Baby onesies! (this is going to be fun)
:)

A Beautiful Life said...

awesome! GREAT summer projects for the kids too, like you said, i'm sure we'll color the world now, haha! Your kiddos are flipping adorable!!

xoxo
hillary

Lori Folkman said...

Perfect timing: we are going to Nicole's to do tie-dye today. I hope ours turn out as cute as yours. I love the before picture! :)

pakosta said...

cute! I love doing tye dye.
we also do socks and shirts with writing or stains even if they are a light color and those come out great too! your kids are ADORABLE beyond words!
tara

Ronolator said...

It's fun to do tie panties for those kids that are starting their potty training too......nothing more fun than festive panties!

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