DIY/Tutorial: How to tie dye with sharpies

First, to appreciate the tie dye of this fabric, click on the pic to see it up close.
It's really interesting.

So I'm always on the hunt for neat stuff to do with my son either now or in the future.  He's only 2 so some things are too advanced for him right now to enjoy, but I know he'll love them in the future.  This is one of those things.

And also, when I saw this I immediately thought of a fun summer child's party.  Use this big sheet as a tablecloth and use some fun multi-colored plastic plates and utensils and maybe have something simple like a sprinkler or slip and slide party.

Or this would be adorable for an easter egg hunt!  Use colors that match the eggs!

Anyway, I found this neat idea from this website, Do Life Right, and I used one of their photos which included one of their children (that's why their face is darkened.)

This idea is super easy and here's how it works:

Supplies:

• Sharpies (the more colors the better, but the metallic ones won’t work properly for this)
• Glass (and/or disposable) cups (at least 4 per person)
• Rubberbands (1 per cup)
• Rubbing alcohol in cups with straws — drip bottles work best (1 per person)
• Fabric to dye (we’ve done t-shirts and sheets of fabric)

Instructions:

1. Lay out the material you are wanting to dye.
2. Put the cups under the fabric — open end up — and secure with rubber bands on top of the fabric.
3. Put dots and squiggles in the center of your circle.
4. Slowly drip the rubbing alcohol (one drop at a time) in the center of the circle. You won’t need much, so go slowly. Watching the ink spread and mix is the fun part, don’t rush it.
5. Allow it to air dry for a few minutes. By the time you are done with four or so, your first circle will most likely be dry enough to take out the cup.
6. Repeat until you are satisfied.

TIPS:

• Prewash and dry fabric.
• Don’t use plastic cups you want to keep, as the markers will permanently stain them.
• Heat set the material, after it has air-dried, for at least 30 minutes longer than you think you should. The Sharpies fade a lot quicker if you don’t heat set for long enough. We’ve found that a dryer works better than an iron. Setting with vinegar seems to make no difference in the longevity of the colors.
• Have fun and experiment with color combinations you normally wouldn’t try. Don’t freak out if it spreads “incorrectly” — there is no right or wrong!
• Try dripping the alcohol from the side, rather than the center. It won’t spread in the same way, but you might like those results better.
• Don’t be afraid of drawing actual pictures. These can look really cool!
• When in doubt about a color combination, add a little black — WOW!
• We tried to do this same experiment on card stock for ATCs (art trading cards). It didn’t work, but try it on other papers and fabrics. Experimenting is really important and fun! You never know when you’ll happen upon the next great idea that everyone will be talking about.
• If you don’t like an area of the fabric, put a cup under it and draw something new (or just drip alcohol on the spot and watch what happens). Some of our least favorite areas turned into our favorite spots this way.

Comments

[Kendall @ Kendall's Entertaining Life]

This is a really neat idea! And much easier than traditional tie-dye methods. Thanks for sharing :)

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Oh what a great idea! Their blog is really cool too, lots of great ideas. Thanks so much for sharing this and adding the party idea, I'll be linking.

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