How to Tie-Dye

In the beginning of the school year, our principal always does a fun team building activity with all the teachers. This year, she had us make tie-dye shirts. It was a blast! We then wore them for our Halloween parade, because we all dressed as hippies.

Inspired by this activity, I bought a tie-dye kit for my daughter. She made a tie-dye shirt for herself and also one for Erik for Father’s Day. Here are some tips if you would like to tie-dye with your kids or do one yourself! I bought her a plain white t-shirt from Old Navy. The tie-dye kit I got was from Target and included a plain white tank top which was the one she made for Erik. You can also make your own tie-dye using food coloring. Click here to see the directions for how to do this by Fave Crafts.

Here is how to Tie-Dye:

To prevent stains on your table, tape a plastic garbage bag to the table. Another good idea is to tie-dye outside, because then there is definitely less mess. Always wear plastic gloves so you do not stain your fingers. First, soak the item you are tie-dying in water. Then, lay it on the table and put on the rubber bands. You can do many different designs. My daughter picked a starburst design. You grab a piece of the shirt and put one or two rubber bands around it.

Here’s what the starburst design looks like when it is finished:

My favorite design is a spiral. You grab the middle of the shirt and twist it into a spiral shape. Here is how you do it:

Then, you add rubber band all around it:

This is what the spiral design looks like when it is finished:

Here’s a picture of my daughter preparing the starburst design. She’s putting the rubber bands on her t-shirt.

Now, it is time to add your dye with a squirt bottle. Add as much color as you would like. When you are finished tie-dying, put your shirt in a large Ziploc bag for 24 hours to get the most vibrant colors. After 24 hours, put on gloves and take out the shirt. Rinse it in water until you don’t see any more dye dripping off. Wash the shirt by itself to avoid staining other clothes the first time. 

Tye-dying is a lot of fun, and it is so on trend right now! You can tie-dye a plethora of different things. Instead of doing a shirt, some other ideas include pillowcases, socks, scrunchies, onesies for babies, and aprons. These would make great gifts for friends and family. Happy Tie-Dying! I would love to see your pictures of things you tie-dyed in the comments below! I hope you enjoyed reading how to tie-dye!