smock, paper, scissors: Groovy Man!

A couple years ago I tried my hand at a little tie-dye...it turned into a bit of an obsession. Here's the thing, I'm not exactly a tie-dye wearing kind of gal so my options have been a bit limited. It's a good thing that kids in tie-dye are about the cutest thing around!
I lucked out and found this YouTube tutorial on my first search. I found it very helpful, it's a bit long winded but worth watching.
I also learned a few things about the different dyes that can be used. Again, I lucked out the first time and bought a kit from Michaels with a Procion MX type of dye. The Tulip, Rit™and Tintex™ dyes are fine but they require very hot water for the dye to bond with the fiber and also need longer soaking time.
So, just head to Michael's and buy the Jaquard Funky Groovy Tie-Dye Kit. I think it's about $15 and it says it will dye up to 5 T-shirts but I was able to dye 7 kids T's between size 2T and 8.

Peace, love and happy dyeing.

   1. I suggest you pick up the kit from Michaels and then go on the hunt for some t-shirt sales. I hit Old Navy and was able to pick up several white t-shirts at a great price. You can also use any old white t-shirt that you might already have that's looking a bit old

   2. Follow the directions on your package, I suggest you wash your new t-shirts first but it will still work if you skip that step.

   3. Dampen your t-shirts and decide what type of pattern you want. I opt for "The Swirl" because I think it's the grooviest.

   4. Lay your t-shirt out flat and stick a fork where you want the centre of your swirl to be and start turning the fork. The shirt will start to spiral around he fork. Help it out along the way to keep it in a spiral.

   5. Secure the rubber bands (provided in the kit) around the shirt to keep it in the spiral disc.

   6.   Follow the instructions to use the Soda Ash and mix thoroughly. Soak your t-shirt discs in the    solution for at least 20 minutes to ensure that it soaks all the way through the fabric.

7. Collect some old bags (without holes) and line them with a few sheets of paper towel to absorb the excess dye. This is where you will place each t-shirt disc to dye.

Please excuse the peeling deck...another summer project

8. If you get a kit, it comes with pre-measured amounts of dye and all you have to do is add the water...just tap water. Easy-peasy.

9. Put on your gloves and your ready to go! I started with the blue first and applied it on the first side in a wedge about a third of the t-shirt.

10. Next I did yellow in another third of the shirt, overlapping the blue a little bit, this will give you the green colour.

11. Last is the Fuchsia on the last third of the shirt overlapping the yellow (for orange) as well as overlapping the blue (for purple).

12. Turn the t-shirt discs over and repeat the steps on the other side. Some of the dye will have soaked through making it easier to follow the pattern.

13. Place the shirts in Zip-Lock bags or remove the paper towel and wrap them up in the plastic bags. Let the shirts sit like that for at least 12 hours, 24 hours is best.