tie dye your old tees for a new look

As a Mom, wife, and official laundry do-er I have a hard time keeping those white t-shirts looking white. No one wants to wear an old stained shirt. But, instead of tossing them out when they start to look dingy I have a solution to give them a second life. You can tie dye your old tees for a new look! It is fun and easy. Let me show you how.
You will need these materials before you start: All purpose dye, rubber bands, plastic bottles to hold the dye (4 to 8 ounces) and rubber gloves. If you purchase a tie-dying kit all of these materials should be included.

Mix your dye beforehand. The dye you choose should come with instructions for mixing. If you use Rit® brand dye you can make four bottles of dye per packet. They also sell pre-mixed dyes.
Gather up the clothes you want to dye. Fabrics that are 100% cellulose fiber are best for dyeing. Cellulose fibers include cotton, rayon, linen, tencel, or hemp. They should be at least 80% of one of these materials for the dye to take well.



Wash your fabrics or run them under water to get them wet. Wring them out so they are not too soggy. You only want them to be damp.
Use rubber bands to tie off your fabric. There are many techniques which include folding and twisting to create different patterns.
Now you are ready to apply the dye. Squirt the dye on the sections you choose. Be sure to wear gloves! The dye will stain your fingers.
Next is the hardest part; let the dye set for eight to twenty-four hours! The amount of time depends on the temperature, which should be at least 70°F (21°C). The longer you wait the better the color. The longer you wait the better the color. Make sure that the fabric stays wet for this period of time. You can do this by wrapping it in plastic wrap or plastic bags.

Now you are ready to reveal your masterpiece! Unwrap your shirts and wash the dye out. I prefer to rinse by hand in cool water before machine-washing. You may need to wash the clothes separately the first few times, but pretty soon they are safe to wash with anything.

The finished product! Visit my shop, Earth’s Treasures for some groovy tie dye just like this one. All hand made by me!

You can dye other fabrics, too! Update any material with some funky tie-dye. Here is a pillow case I dyed. I don't think there are any white fabrics left in my house!