Easy Patriotic Tie-Dye Shirts
If you’re looking for a fun craft this summer to do with the kids, try making some patriotic tie-dye shirts using this easy and cute swirl technique! These festive shirts are perfect to wear for the 4th of July and all summer long.
I recommend using this convenient Tulip Mini Liquid Tie-Dye Fabric Dye Kit-Patriot. All you have to do is fill the bottle with water and then use the gloves and rubber bands included in the kit. I was able to complete 2 shirts with one kit and still had dye left over after creating the 2 shirts.
Patriotic Tie-Dye T-Shirts
Supplies Needed:
- White Cotton Shirt – pre-washed
- Mini Tie-Dye Kit in Blue & Red
Directions:
- Start with a damp, prewashed shirt, and lay it out flat.
- Figure out where on the shirt you want the swirl design and start pinching and turning the shirt into a flat spiral. I found using a fork was helpful.
- Use a rubber band to secure the side and then use a few more rubber bands over the middle creating six pie shapes.
- Make sure to protect your workspace by covering it with plastic.
- Fill your bottles of dye with water and start applying dye on the fabric while alternating colors.
- Let shirts dry for 6-8 hours or even longer for deeper colors.
- Rinse shirt in the sink to get off excess dye.
- Place in the washing machine and wash by itself in a large load with a small amount of detergent and then dry.
- You’ll want to wash it alone for the first couple washes after that.
I love how these shirts turned out and my kids really enjoyed making them!
Nice job, Lina. Your shirts look great! We made these exact shirts last July 4. People are really impressed by the swirl pattern and it wasn’t too hard to do. The kids want to make them again this year!
Thanks Julie!! They want to tie dye all their clothes now!! It is easy 👍
Before washing soak shirt in white vinegar and water mix and then hang to dry. Then wash. The vinegar keeps the dye from fading too fast.
Oh really? That’s a great tip! Thanks Heather 👍
Thanks for the tip! Mine always look great before rinsing and washing. But then they fade so bad after the first wash. We might try making more now that we know about the vinegar trick!
Oh my gosh this is awesome! I have some dye in my closet from targets 70% off I’ve been hoarding! Doing this!! I will send in pics! it may however, end up a Pinterest fail, Fingers crossed 😉 👗👚👕👏🏼🤗
I would love to see them!! You’ll do great!
Me too :). I have to check if the colors are right
I’m getting ready to die about 100 shirts in various colors for a VBS craft. I’ve never done it before. Once I’ve rinsed the shirts (After the kids have colored them), when I go to wash them in the washing machine, can I do several at the same time? Or will the colors all run together?
Hi there! I washed mine together and they were fine. I searched the tulip website and it says if they are in the same color family it should be fine.
See FAQs here:
https://tiedyeyoursummer.com/faqs.html
All the color washed out of mine. Back to white! ?
We tie dye all the time, and i cannot recommend enough times the use of soda ash before dying. Even when the dye kits say you don’t need it, we use it. It makes the colors vibrant, and helps it not wash out. We wash, soak in soda ash, band, dye, toss in a plastic bag and leave them in the sun all afternoon and then leave in bags overnight. The next morning i rinse them, wash like colors together and done! We have done all kinds of cool stuff – clothes, sheets, purses, etc. The colors stay so vibrant our outgrown shirts look freshly done a year later!!
Thanks for sharing!
Where on Earth do you get “soda ash”???
Where do you get “soda ash”???