Tie Dying!

[Miss Mary]

Hey all - as some of you know, my firstborn is about to fly the coop (for a college dorm). She's said for months now, she wanted tie dyed sheets. Couldn't find any so Nina did them herself last night. We found off white extra long twin sheet sets at Target - $12 each. Bought 2. They turned out so neat! She's at work today and I'm doing the rinse/wash phase for her.

My kids want to tie-dye everything now.....LOL Laura wants to even tie dye sox.....not sure how that will turn out.

Guess you could turn any old T shirt, that's stained, into a tie dyed work of art! Another way to recycle....

I read a tip once that if you put vinegar in the final rinse cycle it sets the dye permanently and it won't bleed. I'm still going to do this, although that suggestion isn't on the instruction sheet nor on any website I can find. That tip must have come on a school instruction sheet years ago, from a class one of my kids dyed a shirt in.

Just thought I'd share this idea. I'm sure she won't be the only one on campus w/o funky colored sheets but at least they're not boring, as she said....LOL

Mary

PS - I'm just trying to get all the residual dye out so when she washes them on campus, these sheets won't bleed at all. I can just see her throwing in a towel or top to wash with her sheets. LOL......

[GalvestonDuck]

Yup, vinegar helps set the dye.

We all got free t-shirts a couple of years ago here to commemorate the hospital's new slogan "Here for the health of Texas." They were sharp and crisp and bright with the new red, white, and blue logo and everyone wanted to keep theirs nice like that. They told us to soak them in vinegar and then wash them and it would keep them new looking.

It worked.

[Miss Mary]

Thanks Shawn! The instructions said to wash them several times in very hot water. Then the final rinse. I was going to add a cupful of vinegar to every final rinse cycle. Guess I'd better continue with the 'recipe'. So they all look similar.

You should see my garage though. Nina's working every night just about until 9, so she had to do them inside. The yard would have been a much better place. Now we realize she should have done these weeks ago. You learn I guess.....LOL

Mary

[Skywatch_NC]

Mary,

I'll always remember tie-dying T-shirts at summer camp and at Vacation Bible School.

Eric

[sunny]

lol - I remember tie-dying as a kid! Boy did we think we were cool

[Miss Mary]

Okay, this is going to sound really odd but I never tie dyed anything, personally. Was I just too boring or square (OMG, old fashioned term alert!!!!)?

Apparently, now you can roll, fold or rumple the fabric into stripes, all sorts of shapes, not just the tried and true sunburst pattern.

The possibilities are endless.

I saw a tie dyed shirt on sale at Christopher & Banks recently. For only $10 and I was tempted to buy it. I told my daughters about it and they both cried out - NO, YOU CAN'T BUY A TIE DYED SHIRT MOM, YOU'RE TOO OLD!

Geez, Louise (another old term alert), I didn't, I didn't, I told them....calm down.....LOL

Mary

[weathermom]

Mary, there is a much easier way now..... you can get spray dye at the craft store and just spray it on. If you wet the fabric first it looks more like real tie dye. You can still do the tyeing and stuff to get the cool patterns. Then all you have to do is let them dry and then put them in the dryer to set the dye. Too late now, but she could actually do that at school if she decided to do anything to match. It would also be easy to do socks without the huge mess of batches of dye.
http://sql.shopsei.com/sei/cmdfiles/tiedyesub.php3

[Miss Mary]

wxmom - thanks! I can tell my other daughter this. They're done now and the washer is going. Nina's at work. Wait until she sees how they turned out tonight!

I knew there were easier ways but this is the way they both remember tie dying at camps or school.

Mary

[petal*pusher]

Oh No, Mary! Do I have to get rid of my tie-died "stuff"! Being an old Hippie-style person....(actually a "Beatnik!")....I love my tie-died goodies!

Really throws the kids off when I wear something to school....heh, heh, heh......p

[Miss Mary]

Petal - NO, you don't. You just keep on wearing your hippie duds....LOL

What do my kids know....he he

Mary

[Kim_in_MN]

My kids want to tie-dye everything now.....LOL Laura wants to even tie dye sox.....not sure how that will turn out.

Guess you could turn any old T shirt, that's stained, into a tie dyed work of art! Another way to recycle....

Twice in the last couple of years my son's class has tie-dyed shirts . . . . and instead of buying him a new white t-shirt both times I had him use an older shirt that wasn't so fresh looking any more. They looked great!

ROFL about the socks - this year Jordan did tie-dye some socks - they turned out ok but he has never worn them.

Kim

[Miss Mary]

Kim - see that's the thing, I don't mind buying sheets or T's to tie dye. Because I know they'll get used. But sox? I suspect they'll get stuffed in a drawer somewhere too......but maybe I'll let her do one pair and see how it goes.

My girls wanted to tie dye director chair covers. We didn't get around to that yet but I can see their eyes wandering.....looking around their rooms - mmmm, curtains! Rugs! Chair covers! Pillows! I did say no to comforters....he he. You have to wash them well several times so the dye doesn't bleed. That is just way too much fabric to deal with too!!!

M.

[weathermom]

Tie dyed socks are popular here for soccer practice.......