Good morning all you groovy people,
As I think about summer and the warmer weather, I think about Tie dye!! Tie dye and summer go hand in hand for me. My camp family and I every year would get ready for the summer by going and buying a blank white shirt, tie dye kit and go crazy. The anticipation of what our shirts would look like was always the worst. Once they were ready we would wear them with pride and have a blast during camp.
Did you know that the earliest records of tie dye come from Japan and China?? As early as the 6th century. Of course we all think of the 60's and 70's when we think of tie dye. Now we see it in many forms and fun bright neon colors. In order to get ready for summer, I thought we could make our own tie dye from home. Don't have a kit?? Don't worry I have some fun and easy way for you to make your own kits with things you have from home!!
Tie Dye with Food Coloring:
White cotton T-shirt
Large plastic bowl
½ cup (125ml) white vinegar
Water
Elastic bands
Small squirt bottle (you could recycle a clean shampoo bottle)
Food coloring in different colors
Rubber gloves (Optional: You don’t have to wear them, but you may get food coloring on your fingers if not)
Resealable plastic bag
½ cup (120g) salt
Directions to tie-dye with food coloring:
Step 1: Roll up your sleeves, tie up your hair, and put on an apron (food coloring stains clothes, so you need to protect your clothing). Place your activity mat on a flat surface. Put your T-shirt into a large plastic bowl and pour over the vinegar and ½ cup (125ml) water—this helps prepare the fabric for the dye. Leave to soak for about 30 minutes.
Step 2: Lift the T-shirt out of the bowl and squeeze it to wring it out. Roll the T-shirt into a long sausage shape and then tie three or four elastic bands around the fabric, spacing them however you like. You could pinch it together in the middle and secure with an elastic band to create a spiral design, or tie knots in the T-shirt for yet another tie-dye design.
Step 3: Fill the squirt bottle with ½ cup (125ml) water and add eight drops of food coloring. Put the cap on the bottle and shake to mix well.
Step 4: Place your T-shirt on your activity mat and put on a pair of rubber gloves. Squirt the food coloring mixture onto one area of the T-shirt, then turn it over and squirt the rest of the color mixture onto the other side.
Step 5: Repeat steps 3 and 4 with your other food coloring colors, mixing up the colors in the squirt bottle and staining a different area of the T-shirt each time.
Step 6: When your T-shirt is completely soaked in food coloring and water, place the T-shirt roll into a resealable plastic bag and leave to rest in the bag overnight.
Step 7: The next day, take the T-shirt out of the bag and remove the elastic bands. Pour the salt and ½ cup (125ml) of water into a large bowl. Plunge the T-shirt into the salt water to set the dye and then wring the T-shirt out.
Step 8: Rinse your dyed T-shirt in clean water several times until the water runs clear—take care when you rinse, as splashes of water may stain you and your clothes as the food coloring rinses off. Wring it out a final time and hang out to dry—preferably in the sun.
Tie Dye is such a fun and unique way to be creative. You can freeze your food coloring into ice cubes and the break up the pieces and put the pieces on your shirt. Once they melt they bleed into your shirt and make cool designs. You can try other ways of tie dyeing thing, like socks or shorts, hats and towels. The possibility are endless. Here is a great link for some designs that you can try on your shirts. Have fun looking through them all. It will not be easy to pick just one design. https://www.tiedyeyoursummer.com/techniques
Make sure you tag us with your groovy designs on our ERC Facebook page. Have a fun and colorful day.
Tiffany
Program Supervisor