Bounty - Activity Generator - Activities, Arts, and Crafts for Kids of All Ages
Bounty - Activity Generator - Activities, Arts, and Crafts for Kids of All Ages
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Bounty - Activity Generator - Activities, Arts, and Crafts for Kids of All Ages
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Bounty - Activity Generator - Activities, Arts, and Crafts for Kids of All Ages
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Tie-dyed Shirts

Tie-dyeing fabrics can be as easy—or as challenging—as you like, depending on your creativity and time. Tie-dyeing a plain white shirt is a great beginner project, especially for children. (For practice, recycle a couple of Dad's white T-shirts that have seen better days!) It's also a great way to salvage a white shirt that's picked up a few stains along the way. Remember, you don't need to use more than one colour to get a really cool effect. There are many different methods for tie-dyeing, but here's a basic, easy guide.
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Time:
  1. 60 minutes or more

Age Group:
  1. 5 - 8

What you'll need:

  • 100% white or light-coloured cotton T-shirt

  • Nontoxic fabric dye such as Rit® (Decide how many colours you want to use.)

  • Salt (if your dye instructions require it)

  • Elastics (Various widths of thick and thin work best if you can find them.)

  • Bucket or bowl for each colour dye you’re using (large enough to submerge your shirt in if you’re using only one colour)

  • Plastic sheets or garbage bags to protect your work surface

  • Rubber or plastic gloves to protect your hands

  • Bounty® paper towels to clean up spills and blot between "dips"

  • Pennies or buttons (optional)


Directions:

  1. Prepare your work surface so it’s covered in plastic and paper towels are close at hand.

  2. Mix the dye solution according to package directions. Use a separate bucket or bowl for each colour.

  3. Begin crumpling, folding, bunching, or twisting the shirt into various designs and bind each section tightly with an elastic. Alternating thick and thin elastics will give you more interesting patterns. Placing three or four elastics about 1 cm apart will produce stripes. For small circles, bunch pennies or buttons into the fabric and bind them tightly with an elastic. Dye will not penetrate bound areas of the fabric, so the more areas you "tie," the more intricate your design will be.



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