DIY Tie-Dye Shirts – How To Make Your Own

Tie-Dye

Tie-dye is back!  Remember the tie-dye of the ’70s?  This art has been revived and is popular with the young girls today.  My granddaughter is so excited about this project.  For our post on how to make coordinating canvas shoes with Sharpies and Isopropyl alcohol, click here►Designer Canvas Shoes.

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This is the One-Step Tie-Dye Kit we bought for this experience.

The squeeze bottles make dying in this way so much easier than the tubs of dye and dipping the shirt in them, which is the way we did in the ’70s.  The dye is also more vibrant.

The kit includes instructions for different techniques but you can also find more options on Pinterest.

At this point, we looked at all kinds of ideas and had our favorites in mind.  These designs are just to guide you in some techniques for tie-dye but you will want to make your own variations, changing colors, twisting, banding, and folding techniques.

[ctt template=”8″ link=”yFeha” via=”no” ]Tie-dye is back!  Remember the tie-dye of the ’70s?  This art has been revived and is popular again with more creative designs.[/ctt]

Tie-Dye Preparation

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In preparation, you will need to go shopping!  Sophie and I went to the local Gap Outlet and found a little sleeveless white cotton blouse, a T-shirt, and a knit tank top.  At the local craft store, we bought a couple of inexpensive white T-shirts for Memphis.  We also bought an 8-ounce bottle of Aleene’s Clear Gel Glue.  The glue is used for a Mermaid top!

Before Starting

Before you start your project, you must wash the clothing to remove the sizing.  Then, dry in the dryer.  Don’t use dryer sheets or fabric softener!  I tumbled the little cotton blouse for a very few minutes and then took it out and hung on a hanger.  

Folding and Rubber Banding The Shirts

Next, we began the process of folding, twirling, and twisting the tops to get them ready for the dye.  Make sure you have all of the shirts ready for the dye before you begin! 

After the tops are all ready, use the plastic square supplied with the kit or another cheap plastic tablecloth.  Then, fill the squeeze bottles you plan to use with water up to the fill line and shake until all of the dye is dissolved.  The dye begins to lose some of its intensity after 45 minutes.  Remember that as you fill the bottles with water!  Only fill the bottles with the colors you plan to use.  We have 6 more colors saved to use on some other projects.  Plan accordingly.

Folded Tie-Dye Design

This first sleeveless top is folded in 3/4″ pleats across the lower two-thirds.  The top is left open.  (Remember to finish folding, twisting, gluing, and banding all the projects before taking the following dying steps!  If you are using the glue for designs, you will want to start on that one first to allow for drying completely.)

 

Next, place the blouse on a wire rack so the dye won’t pool underneath and spoil the design you are attempting to create!

Put on the plastic gloves before using the dyes unless you want colorful hands!

Then, begin to apply the dye.  This blouse is going to coordinate with a pair of shorts Sophie has.  We chose colors from the shorts.

Saturate the sections with the chosen colors of dye.  Turn the shirt over and add more dye to the sides and back, too.  Our plan left the top and one narrow section a couple of inches from the bottom white, too.  That small section is stitched on each side, which gives an obvious line for detail.  Ultimately, the white line at the bottom is not visible.

 

 

 

 

Remove the top from the rack and carefully place in a plastic bag, leave the white at the top of the blouse outside the bag.   Leave in the bag 6-8 hours or overnight.  We started this early in the afternoon.  Click here ►for how to rinse, wash, and dry.

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The Mermaid Tie-Dye Top

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This is where you need the 8-ounce bottle of Aleene’s Clear Gel Glue.  Place a piece of cardboard between the front and back layers of the shirt before applying the glue for this project.  You don’t want to glue the two layers together!  ( When I finished applying the glue, I also set the shirt on the cardboard up against a chair leg on the deck so the front didn’t adhere to the cardboard!)

Start applying the glue on each of the shoulders to replicate scales.  In the middle of each of those, apply the glue to the left and stop at the seam.  Repeat on the right.  Leave the sleeves free of glue.

 

Next, start in the middle of the neckline and apply glue to the middle of the previous row on the left and right.  Continue applying the glue in this fashion until you reach the bottom of the shirt.  You can see that all the scales are not uniform.  That’s okay.

Allow the glue to dry and set up a little so it doesn’t drip and then prop up the cardboard with the shirt, making sure the shirt doesn’t adhere to the cardboard.  Let the glue completely dry before adding the dye!

Applying The Dyes

Using the squeeze bottle, apply the green dye horizontally across the T-shirt.  Then add the blue and, lastly, the navy.  Turn the T-shirt over and make sure the entire back is covered, too.

Then, lay this shirt out, scales facing up, on a large sheet of plastic.  Fold the plastic over the bottom, the top, and both sides, enveloping the T-shirt in plastic.  Leave in this position 6-8 hours or overnight.  We started this early afternoon.  I left it overnight and was concerned that the glue might dissolve but it did not!  Click here ►for how to rinse, wash, and dry.

 

I read that another crafter uses regular Elmer’s school glue and found that if it is left damp very long, it will begin to dissolve and you have lost your design.  Don’t use school glue for this if you plan to leave it damp for 6-8 hours!

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Bullseye Tie-Dye

 

Sophie chose a bullseye tie-dye design for her tank top.  With this technique, you pull up the center front and back together. Holding the center with one hand, gather the shirt and bind sections with the rubber bands.

The light blue is the middle, which is pulled up in the first step.  It will end up being the center of the bullseye.  The opposite end is the gathered shirt bottom and the top with the straps.

Remove the top from the rack and place in a plastic bag, leave the lighter blue on one end or side of the bag.   You don’t want the lighter colors to touch the darker ones.  Leave in the bag 6-8 hours or overnight.

Click here ►for how to rinse, wash, and dry.

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Swirl Tie-Dye

 

Lay the shirt out on a flat surface, pinch the fabric where you want the swirl to start and twist into a flat spiral.  Smooth and pleat the shirt as you turn it to keep the spiral flattened.

 

Apply 4 or more rubber bands as shown in the picture.

Use as many dye colors as you like.  Sophie used the blue, black, navy, and green on her shirt and I made the pink and orange one for Memphis. 

These both look so different.  Remove the banded bundle from the rack and carefully place in a plastic bag.  Tie the top securely.   Leave in the bag 6-8 hours or overnight.

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Rinse, Wash, and Dry

 

 

 

Gather all of the bags with the damp tie-dyed shirts and take to a sink with a faucet.  Put on plastic gloves before opening bags and removing the shirts!  Excited, I forgot to do this with the first one and my hands were a lovely shade of blue for a day.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Remove the rubber bands, cutting if necessary.  Run water over the shirts, turning, and squeezing the fabric until the water runs clear.

 

Wash these with the hottest water suitable for the fabric.  I washed the two darker colored shirts together.  I washed the brighter pink and orange shirts separately because of the white at the top of the little cotton blouse.  Don’t allow the damp dyed shirts to lay on other fabrics.  The dye might bleed onto them before they’ve been washed a few times.  So, you also might want to wash these separately for a few washes or wash them with the same colors.  Dry as usual.

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How cute are these?  Imagine the fun you and your little girls will have while making these!