Fun & Easy Tie-Dye Project

Oh Tie-Dye, how I've missed you! I remember wearing Tie-Dye shirts as a kid and I'm so excited they are coming back in style! This is such a fun activity but can be pricey too! My kids are having a big 4-in-1 birthday bash in a few weeks and they wanted to have matching Tie-Dye shirts. After seeing the prices at the local craft store for kits, I decided to do some experimenting at home and found a less expensive way to make Tie-Dye apparel.

 

Materials needed:

• Plain t-shirt (white shows up best but my oldest insisted on colored shirts)
• Permanent markers (we had Sharpies but off-brands will do)
• Rubber bands
• Febreze

Step 1: Choose a point on the shirt where you'd like your "burst" to start. Pinch the shirt in that spot, twist, and band with a rubber band.

 

Step 2: Continue twisting the shirt and placing the rubber bands about 1" apart until the entire shirt is banded.

Step 3: Color the space between the bands, alternating colors. Be sure to color all the creases. The darker and more complete you color each section, the better it turns out. The kids didn't color quite as dark as mine but they still turned out cute! This is where your kids can get as creative as they'd like. My son did a lot of black (he really likes black lately) and my daughter added polka dots and rainbow colors.

 

Step 4: Use the febreze to soak the shirt (while still banded). Once you've soaked it, use your fingers to rub in the colors and you'll see them start to smear just a little. Tip: For inexpensive Febreze, you can pour a cap full of fabric softener into a spray bottle, fill with water, and go. Smells great too!

 

Step 5: Toss the shirts into the dryer (make sure there are NO OTHER CLOTHES first). Once the shirts are completely dry, remove the bands to reveal your new Tie-Dye creation! 

 





 

We put their ages on the back for the party.
Savanna will be turning 6, Samuel 4, and
Gideon & Gracie 1 :)

 

Go Tie-Dye!

 

Bye for now,

Kristina