Tie Dyed T-Shirts
It's Tie-Dye Time!
All Things Tie-Dyed...Shirts, Socks, Bandana's, Bags, Etc.
There is nothing more fun...or intimidating than tie-dye. But once your try it...you'll be hooked!
There are many ways in which to tie-dye. There are no right or wrong ways...it is a matter of having fun and experimenting with new designs.
I give the children various items to use in their designs and encourage them to experiment for themselves. Give them the basic tools, the basic instructions and let them create to their hearts content.
Many are intimidated with tryng their hand at tie-dying...but you don't have to be.
The biggest thing about tie-dying is being prepared...and being in charge. There are times where the children can be creative and do their own thing and there are times when the adults have to be in charge. And that time is when you're ready to do the dying.
Here's a few tips/ideas/suggestions for you to consider.
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Tie-dying is not a quick activity. I would allow at least two hours...longer if you have a lot of children.
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When tie-dying, don't stop half way. After the children have dyed their shirts/socks/etc. rinse them thoroughly and allow the children to remove the rubber bands to reveal their creations. That's part of the fun! Shirts can then be placed in zip-lock baggies to be taken home. See more details on removing the rubber bands and placing shirts in bags below.
Dying Methods
5-Gallon Bucket Method - (two or more days method)
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One of my favorite ways to do shirts is to allow the children to create their shirts one day and then drop them into the 5-gallon bucket (color) of their choice.
The shirts will stay in the dye for 24-48 hours (check on them occasionally to make sure they are submerged under the dye.) Use a 5 gallon stir stick to poke them down under the water. This method assures the most
beautiful and bright colors ever! Hint: Youi may want to add an extra package of dye to your bucket to insure and even brighter color.
After the 24/48 hours, drain the dye water off one bucket (color) at a time and rinse each shirt until the water runs clear.
You can do this in your washer if you choose. A quick bleach rinse afterwards will wash away all the bleach.
Hang the shirts on a line to dry.
When the children return, they can cut the rubberbands off (which takes a while) and reveal their designs.
If you use this method, the shirts are already dry so you don't have to worry about sending wet shirts home. AND...the kids are not dealing with the dye themselves...except for dropping them into the bucket.
When the children drop their shirts into the buckets of dye, allow them to use the 5-gallon stir stick and stir for a minute or two. This will add to their excitement!
5-Gallon Bucket - 30 minute (approx) method
Prepare shirts, drop them into a 5-gallon bucket of dye, leave in the dye for 30 minutes (or more) stir occasionally with a 5-gallon stir stick to isure that all shirts stay under the water.
Pull shirts from the dye, drain and wring out excess dye water. Rinse thoroughly (5 gallon buckets of water are handy for rinsing...one bucket for each different color). Allow the children to remove the rubber bands with sharp pointed kids scissors and admire their designs before placing in a ziplock with their names and washing instructions attached.
Zip Lock Method
For small children, you may try the ziplock bag method.
Children will create their shirt and then place them inside a ziplock bag. Leaders will add the dye to the bag and then double bag it to prevent accidents. You can leave the shirts in the bags for a day or two...as mentioned above. Making sure to turn the bags over occasionally. Follow the rest of the steps mentioned above.
I always spread out a drop cloth and then have the children sit on the drop cloth with their bag sitting in front of them.
Children will basically turn their bags over every couple of minutes until you call time.
Instruct the children to be very careful with their bags...no squeezing or mashing.
Spray Bottle/Squirt Bottle Method
One of the simpliest methods of tie-dying is to allow the children to scrunch up their t-shirts into a ball and then twist several rubber bands tightly around the ball.
Using a spray bottle filled with dye or, a squirt bottle filled with dye, the children will spray/squirt the shirt until thoroughly wet.
This method will result in a hodge podge of different designs and colors.
You would probabaly want to do this method outdoors because it can get rather messy. You may also want to limit the children on the number of colors that they can use.
When finished, the shirts should be rinsed out, rubber bands removed and designs revealed. Shirts can then be placed into ziplock baggies with the child's name and washing instructions attached. If you don't want to rinse the shirts, remove the rubber bands or reveal the designs, the shirts can go directly into the baggies with instructions on how to finish their shirts at home.
You would probably want to use poncho's or trash bag smocks for this method.
TIPS
Identifying Shirts
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Use a black sharpie pen and write each child's names on the underneath side of the hem or inside the collar before you hand them out. Do this yourself so that names are legible. If you are going to do your shirts all in one day, place the wet shirts into ziplocks when finished...and write the child's name on the baggie. It is a good idea to staple washing instructions to the baggie as well.
Protecting Clothing
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If worried about staining clothing, you can use ponchos or large trash bags (hole cut for neck and arms) to cover the children's clothing.
Rubber Bands
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Rubber Bands: The tighter you twist your rubber bands, the more design you end up with. Areas under the rubberband will not be dyed. If rubber bands are not tight then the dye will bleed under the rubberband. For children doing tie-dye, tight simply means little hand tight...not floppy! Don't expect the to get the rubber bands as tight as an adult.
Tarps and Table cloths
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It is always a great idea to put a plastic tarp (cheap painters tarp) under the area where the tie-dying will take place. Set your various buckets on top of the tarp. If using tables, cover all tables with a plastic tablecloth.
Rubber Gloves
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Rubber gloves...For both instructors and children. Gloves will be worn while working with the dye only. If you are doing the squirt bottle or spray bottle method, you will definitely need them. Some children do not like to get their hands dirty. Give them a pair of gloves to wear to solve the problem.
Washing Instructions
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When finished with the shirts, place each child's name on a zip-lock, write their name on the outside of the zip-lock and staple/tape the washing instructions to the baggie.
Some items that you will need are:
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T-Shirts, Socks, Bandana's, Canvas bags...or whatever you choose to tie-dye.
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Rubber bands....and lots of them!
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Scissors - Kids sharp pointed scissors work great with kids. Children will use the tip of the scissors to carefully pull the rubber bands away from the shirt and snip. You can skip the scissors however it is so much easier to snip the rubber bands than to try to unwind them.
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Dye - There are many different types of dye however the most cost effective is the Rit Dye. It can be purchased in either the powder form shown below or in liquid bottles. More expensive "true" tie-dyes can be purchased but for making tie-dyed shirts with kids, they are pretty expensive. I normally purchase the powdered dye for making large buckets of dye and the liquid dye for making squirt bottles of dye. I will go over both uses when we get into the designs below.
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Large 5 Gallon buckets. 1 per color
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5 Gallon Bucket Stir sticks. 1 per color
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Spray and/or squirt bottled (depending on the method you choose)
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Ziplock baggies if you choose to use the baggie method.
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Disposable Painters Tarp (Cheap plastic ones from Wal-Mart) - Optional
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An array of items such as washers, marbles, coins, etc to use in the designing of the shirts (see the picture shown above)
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Poncho's or Large Black Trash Bags (Smocks) (Cut a hole for the arms and head and slip on)
Let's Get Started
Design #2
Design #2 is also easy for younger children. Simply gather up a small area of the shirt (both thicknesses- front and back), twist a rubber band tightly around the gathered area. Do the same thing over the entire shirt.
When it comes time to dye the shirt, the children can toss the entire shirt into the bucket of dye of their choice or, use the spray/squirt bottles to design their shirts...whatever method you offer (bucket, spray or squirt) will work great!
Design #3
Design #3 is small fingers friendly! Simply gather up a small area of the shirt (both thicknesses- front and back), stick a ball under the gathered area, pull the t-shirt fabric firmly around the ball and twist a rubber band tightly around the ball. The more balls you use, the more designs you will create. This is a random design. No two shirts will be exactly the same.
I have tried washers of various sizes, coins, marbles, beads, and glass jewels.
When it comes time to dye the shirt, the children can toss the entire shirt into the bucket of dye of their choice or, use the spray/squirt bottles to design their shirts...whatever method you offer (bucket, spray or squirt) will work great!
Design #4
Design #4 - The stripes have it! You can achieve a stripe design by either starting at the bottom of the t-shirt, gathering the fabric and placing a rubber band around it or starting at the shoulder area, gathering the fabric and placing a rubber band around it. Continue the process all the way down the shirt. The first row of pics show a horizontal stripe across the shirt. This was achieved by starting at the bottom of the shirt.
The second row of pics show a more (semi) vertical stripe. This was achieved by starting at the shoulder.
With either design, it is a good idea to put the first rubber band into place and then hold the shirt up (by holding your first knot) with one hand. Watch how the shirt falls in a natural direction. Use the other hand to gather the shirt all the way down to help you determine the placement for the next rubberband. Grab the first knot after each rubberband has been placed to make sure you are still headed in the right direction.
Note: For this design, you can create a tri color (or more) shirt by simply folding the prepared (knotted) shirt in half and dip 1/3 of the shirt into one color. Then unfold the shirt and dip the two ends of the shirt into two different colors. If you are using the squirt bottle method, you can actually squirt each knot with whatever colors you choose.
When it comes time to dye the shirt, the children can toss the entire shirt into the bucket of dye of their choice or, use the spray/squirt bottles to design their shirts...whatever method you offer (bucket, spray or squirt) will work great!
Design #6
Design #6 - The Spiral Design is probably the hardest design. It requires strong wrist and fingers. This design is probably not a good design for small children.
To create this design, lay your t-shirt down on a solid surface. Spread your t-shirt out flat and then locate the center of the shirt.
Grab a small section of the shirt; front and back, and begin twisting/turning to the right (left if left handed) The object is to wind the
t-shirt up until there is nothing left to wind. Use your opposite hand to hold the shirt flat while you are twisting. See the first two pictures below to get started (I only had one hand to twist because of trying to take a picture...however, it will take both hands.
Wind the shirt as tightly as you can and then start placing rubber bands around it to hold it tight. Use plenty of rubber bands from all angles to secure.
For this t-shirt, I prefer the squirt bottle method but either method will work!
When it comes time to dye the shirt, the children can toss the entire shirt into the bucket of dye of their choice or, use the spray/squirt bottles to design their shirts...whatever method you offer (bucket, spray or squirt) will work great!
Something to Consider
I found a bunch of white bandana's in the children's resource room so I set out on experimenting with different designs.
When the event began, I shared the different designs with the children and used a second; white, bandana to demonstrate the different technique and results.
The different bandana's were on display and each child was allowed to select their design. The samples worked great! It was a great way to learn and teach the fundamentals of tie-dying.
Socks!
Looking for an easy way to get started or working with smaller children?
Try tie-dying socks!
Allow the children to twist rubber bands around their socks...whatever fashion they choose. (Or, if the children are really small, twist the socks before class.
When it's time to tie-dye, have all the children sit down on a cheap plastic tarp.
Give them a pair of socks and a baggie and them place their socks the baggie.
Using the zip-lock method above is the easiest and least messy method for small children.
Of course, you can do any method that you choose.
There are several themes that you can teach with your lessons.
1. Use the Salvation colors
(black, red, white, blue, green and gold) to teach the Plan of Salvation while creating their tie-dyed item. The spray bottle or squirt bottle method would work best for this theme.
2. We are all unique. No two of us are exactly the same.
3. Creation
4. Being unique...being who you are!
Have fun creating!!!