Tie-dye crafts are always a lot of fun. In addition, they’re often A LOT of mess! There are several different tie-dye techniques to choose from, and experienced folks usually have a definite preference about which they like best. But no matter the method, the mess tends to be the same.
Earlier this spring I was introduced to the all-in-one tie-dye kits from Tulip and a simplified method to making fun, one-of-a-kind designs. The kits range from just a few colors to many colors and come with plastic gloves and rubber bands so that your crafty shopping list is pretty short. If you’ve never used one of these kits before, take a look at the toddler T-shirts I dyed in just a matter of minutes.
Materials
- 1 Tulip Tie-Dye kit (mine came with three colors to dye with, but pick your favorite colors and the number of dyes you’d like to try)
- Additional rubber bands (just in case any of yours break!)
- Paper towel Bucket
- Item to dye (100% cotton T-shirts and accessories work the best)
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Instructions
| 1. Start by prepping your dye bottles. Each bottle comes filled with the powder dye in the bottom; just fill it with cold water. Put the cap back on, shake and set aside.
2. Gather your T-shirt together and add rubber bands down the length of it. There are lots of ways to create different designs when creating a tie-dye project; check out ILovetoCreate.com for more dyeing techniques and ideas. |
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| 3. Next, run the T-shirt under cold water until it’s soaked. |
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| 4. Squeeze out as much of the water as possible. |
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| 5. It’s time to dye your shirt. First, put on your plastic gloves. Next, place the T-shirt in the bottom of the bucket. Why a bucket? It helps control any wayward dye – especially if younger crafters are working on a project. |
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| 6. Apply a liberal amount of dye to each of the sections. |
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| 7. Don’t forget to dye the back of the shirt, too! |
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| 8. Once you’ve applied the amount of dye you want to use, place the T-shirt in a plastic bag. Try to get out as much of the air as possible when sealing the bag shut. Roll the shirt up in the bag and let dry for six to eight hours.
9. After the shirt has dried in the bag, remove it and run under cold water until there’s no excess dye running off the shirt. Remove the rubber bands and wash separately, from any other laundry loads, in the washing machine. Dry separately, too. (Check the shirt for specific care instructions, and then follow the kit’s directions as closely as you can.) |
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| 10. You’re done! Step back and admire your work. |
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What will you tie-dye next? Why not share? Email a photo of your creation to me, lish@www.metroparent.com. I’ll feature it in a future Make It blog.
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