Tie-DIY Anchor Tee (Part 1)

 Hello hello! It's been a while since I've been able to post, but the past couple weeks have been jammed full of camps and VBS. Just in time for a southern vacation. :) In order to get in the tropical mood, I have decided to go all out with nautical-themed objects. Stripes, anchors, boats, you name it. To start off, I decided to design a special nautical tee especially for the beach using a tie-dye kit and some fabric paint.

 I tied off the already-washed tee with rubber bands that came in the kit. Since I was going to stripe the shirt with blue dye and leave every other stripe white, I rolled up the shirt width-wise and put the bands an equal distance apart along the length of the shirt (the pictures look horrible because I did this project at like 10:00 PM and had to use the kitchen's artificial lighting).

 I dyed every other banded-off section blue, which was where I made my first mistake. I accidentally over-dyed the blue sections and they unfortunately bled into the white sections. Which is why you don't go at it like you're trying to dye the ocean.

 Then, according to the directions, I wrapped the too-blue tee in plastic wrap and let it sit for 6-8 hours (it actually turned out to be longer because I was out of town all morning and early afternoon).

 When I got back, I rinsed all of the excess dye out of the shirt with cold water in the bathroom sink (which turned out to be a LOT of dye).

 As you can see, the stripes didn't quite survive the night (unless you look REALLY close. Then you can see slight lighter-than-the-rest-of-it sections which vaguely resemble the stripes I was hoping to create.) However I have resolved to paint the stripes on by hand, so we'll see how that little experience goes.

 After rinsing out the excess dye by hand, I threw it in the washer as a full load with hot water (as directed), and after it was done, hung it up to dry over the bathtub.

This is the design which I am going to paint on (after I get the whole stipes dilemma worked out). I might tweak it a bit later, but it's always good to visualize it on paper first. I may also apply a similar design to a tote bag, too. Stay tuned and keep your fingers crossed that this shirt works out!!!

From one crafty lady to another, tie-dye just isn't as simple as people make it seem.

Tee (before I got a hold of it): Michael's,  Tie-Dye Kit: Won (from a super giveaway!), however it can be found at most likely any craft store. I think.


xoxo, Lady S.