Tie Dye Instructions for Spiral Mickey Shirt

[grumpy&princess]

so here are my shirts. they are for christmas. the coloring isnt great in the pics cause i took the pics in my laundry room and the lighting is horrible

 

[grumpy&princess]

here are 6 more rounds of shirts

 

[momto3boys+aprincess]

They turned out great! Thanks for everyones help!!! Here is the link to my photobucket. http://s235.beta.photobucket.com/user/oesdog/media/SAM_0023.jpg.html?sort=3&o=28 can't wait to wear them...14 days and counting down!

 

[mouseCT]

They turned out great! Thanks for everyones help!!! Here is the link to my photobucket. http://s235.beta.photobucket.com/user/oesdog/media/SAM_0023.jpg.html?sort=3&o=28 can't wait to wear them...14 days and counting down!

Those shirts are awesome.
I need to know where you got those shirts. Especially the fourth one from the start with the “Disney” Christmas writing.

http://i235.photobucket.com/albums/ee279/oesdog/SAM_0046.jpg

I would love to do the Tie Die shirts but my family would refuse to wear them.

 

[momto3boys+aprincess]

Those shirts are awesome.
I need to know where you got those shirts. Especially the fourth one from the start with the “Disney” Christmas writing.

http://i235.photobucket.com/albums/ee279/oesdog/SAM_0046.jpg

I would love to do the Tie Die shirts but my family would refuse to wear them.

Thanks, I wanted to do 2 tiedye shirts the second one in christmas colors but my teen boys said one was enough.

The disney logo in christmas was gotten over on the Creative DISigns forum. If you look in the meet the disigners thread at the top it is Millie in the disigners taking a break or retired section I think it is in her Milliesky 4shared link under christmas. If you have trouble finding it let me know and I will get you the link. I used Amy Mickey who is also on that forum for my iron-on transfers her site is amymickey . com There are lots of great disigns over on that forum! Some of the shirts I made I used other disigns and personalized them, and for the name shirts and the 2012 up shirt I learned to do those namefills myself. Hope this helps.

 

[mouseCT]

Thanks, I wanted to do 2 tiedye shirts the second one in christmas colors but my teen boys said one was enough.

The disney logo in christmas was gotten over on the Creative DISigns forum. If you look in the meet the disigners thread at the top it is Millie in the disigners taking a break or retired section I think it is in her Milliesky 4shared link under christmas. If you have trouble finding it let me know and I will get you the link. I used Amy Mickey who is also on that forum for my iron-on transfers her site is amymickey . com There are lots of great disigns over on that forum! Some of the shirts I made I used other disigns and personalized them, and for the name shirts and the 2012 up shirt I learned to do those namefills myself. Hope this helps.

Thank You so much for the information. I just designed our shirts/jacket logo. Not sure if I will make a transfer or have it embroidered. Also not sure on shirts and or jackets- we where down at Disney Christmas two years ago and we had a couple of mornings in the lower thirties and highs in he lower fifties. I held tough- was the only one in the parks with shorts on!
The Logo is as follows:


Christmas family Adventure 2012 by mouseCT, on Flickr

 

[momto3boys+aprincess]

Thank You so much for the information. I just designed our shirts/jacket logo. Not sure if I will make a transfer or have it embroidered. Also not sure on shirts and or jackets- we where down at Disney Christmas two years ago and we had a couple of mornings in the lower thirties and highs in he lower fifties. I held tough- was the only one in the parks with shorts on!
The Logo is as follows:


Christmas family Adventure 2012 by mouseCT, on Flickr

That is really cute!!! Glad I could help out. I also used millie's christmas letters and put our last name on all our shirts. They are so cute.

 

[lucigo]

That is really cute!!! Glad I could help out. I also used millie's christmas letters and put our last name on all our shirts. They are so cute.

Could you post some pictures?

 

[momto3boys+aprincess]

Could you post some pictures?

I can't post pic yet but here is the link to my photobucket acct. these are the white shirts.

http://i235.photobucket.com/albums/ee279/oesdog/SAM_0047.jpg

http://s235.beta.photobucket.com/user/oesdog/media/SAM_0023.jpg.html?sort=3&o=28

 

[cjsteiger]

After lurking over this thread for months, taking notes from sources all over the web, and finally ordering my dyes from Dharma, I attempted my first shirt! I'm pretty happy with the result. I didn't get as much white as I would have liked (guess i got into the pleats too well! ) I would have also liked a more definitive white border around Mickey but I think that was because I needed a tighter rubber band around the Mickey head base?? I've got another one brewing right now so we shall see! Just thought I'd share my result.

I think it came out awesome!!!

 

[caseyem67]

Quick question...when do I remove the stitches??

I did our shirts. Unwrapped them and rinsed them out but I laid them out to dry and it looks the the dye from the Mickey heads all bled. How do you keep it so white between the Mickey head and the tye dye design???

 

[My3Princez]

Quick question...when do I remove the stitches??

I did our shirts. Unwrapped them and rinsed them out but I laid them out to dry and it looks the the dye from the Mickey heads all bled. How do you keep it so white between the Mickey head and the tye dye design???

A good inch to inch-and-a-half of ridiculously tight rubber bands just below the also-ridiculously-tight stitching.

 

[caseyem67]

When I unwrapped them they looked great! Nice white area around the Mickey shape. I laid them flat to dry overnight and the next morning they looked a lot different----the white was practically gone. Should I have washed them right away? I only washed them in the washing machine the following day.

 

[jenseib]

When I unwrapped them they looked great! Nice white area around the Mickey shape. I laid them flat to dry overnight and the next morning they looked a lot different----the white was practically gone. Should I have washed them right away? I only washed them in the washing machine the following day.

oh yes, you don't want them to dry. You need to wash them right away after you unwrap them.

 

[brettcw23]

oh yes, you don't want them to dry. You need to wash them right away after you unwrap them.

I crafted this previously based on multiple messages on this thread.

Originally Posted by brettcw23
With much help and inspiration from PixieDust32

Required:
1. Soda ash fixer - this helps the dyes to bond with the fiber.
2. Urea (optional) - Helps the dye to dissolve nicely and keeps the shirt damp so that the colors can set.
3. Synthrapol (optional) - gets the excess dye out when you wash them. Not necessary but helpful.
4. Dye (or kit)
5. Rubber bands
6. Mickey Head template (just Google it and you'll find them)
7. Sewing thread or waxed dental floss
8. Sewing needle
9. Pencil or wash out fabric marker (used to trace the Mickey head onto the shirt)
10. 100% cotton t-shirts or other items. You'll be disappointed if you get anything but 100% cotton. The colors are much more vivid and crisp with cotton. Mixed blends or lycra material just don’t work well.
The Process:
Trace a Mickey Head on your shirt (I draw mine a few inches below the neck line, but you can create them anywhere you’d like and any size.)
Then do baste stitching around the template. I do a lot of small stiches using waxed dental floss. The stitches are probably 1/8". The rule of thumb is that the tighter the stitching, the better the more defined that the Mickey head will be.
Pull the thread tight so that the Mickey head puckers up from the shirt. Wrap the excess string around the base of the "puckered Mickey head"
Put rubber bands REALLY tight around the base of the Mickey head. This creates the white outline around the head.

Put a packet of Soda Ash in a bucket of warm water and mix it up. Soda Ash can be bought at most craft stores or at Lowe's\Home Depot in the pool section (listed sodium carbonate or sodium UP)
Put the t-shirts into the mixture for at least 45 minutes.
When time is up, ring out the shirts by hand and get as much water out as you can..
Then create your shirt design. Most people will grab the Mickey head and start twisting so that the shirt will form into a danish looking circle,
One the shirt has been twisted into a circle, put rubber bands around the shirt dividing it into pizza type shapes. I normally use 6 rubber bands to help keep the circle formed nicely.

Now, mix your dyes. There are a variety of types and they are personal preferences.
Dharma trading Company seemingly produces the best results.
When I mix mine, I use 4oz bottles and I also use urea and mix it with the water. Once the mixture is made, I pour it into the bottles using a funnel.
So the mixing process for me goes like this.
Using Dharma dyes, I put 1 TSP of dye into the bottles (unless the specific color requires more dye per the Dharma instructions. i.e., Jet Black required 4 TSP of dye.
Next I put whatever amount of water I need into a bowl (my wife has a Pampered Chef one with a spout...works great)
Then I put in however much urea is needed and mix it all up.
Then I pour the water into the bottles and shake them up.

Once you have the dye mixed, you can begin coloring the shirt.
Some people start with the Mickey head. If you do that is fine. Try not to oversaturate the head or it will run past the rubber bands onto the rest of the shirt and you will end up with a blob instead of a defined Mickey head.
To keep from dripping the dye for the head onto other parts of the shirts, you can over the shirt with a plastic bag, cling wrap, or grocery bag.

I actually do the shirt first and the head last.
I cover the head in cling wrap right away and can then use it as sort of handle to turn the shirt as I dye and do not have to worry about getting the wrong color dye on it by mistake.
I dye the shirt using 4 colors. I use one color for each quarter of the circle.
Make sure to do the top and bottom of your shirt and also make sure to get the tips of the bottle into the folds of the shirt. If you don't get the tip in the folds, you will end up with a lot of white in your shirt.
When I am don with the shirt part, I wrap it in cling wrap.
Next I take the cling wrap off of the head and color it in.
Once the head is completely dyed, I wrap it again with cling wrap.
Let the shirt sit for 24 hours.
Take the shirt out and rinse it in the sink with warm water.
Take the rubber bands and thread out while washing out the extra dye. The rubber bands can be stubborn to get undone, so I use a thread ripper to get the rubber bands off the Mickey head.
Wash the shirts with Synthrapol if you have it. I wash it on hot. If you don't have Synthrapol, use All or something similar.
When done, dry the shirts on low heat or hang up and dry.

Now enjoy your shirts!

 

[jenseib]

I crafted this previously based on multiple messages on this thread.

Fron a quick glance that looks right. You don't let them dry with dye on. You dry them after you wash in the washer.

 

[Musicalmommy]

They turned out better than I worried they would turn out to be.. If that makes any sense. Some UBER cool shirts on here. Was afraid I was going to miss my creative mark by a bit more. While it is not the super saturated perfect T-shirts like you can buy. I think I did pretty well with the spray kit and thin fabric paint I had on hand.
I knew I wanted a black Mickey and the Tulip fabric cannon paint I bought on clearance a few years ago came in handy for this.

 

[diamondjfarms]

I was going to try, although I chickened out and did them this way. But, I thank you for the instructions on how to "swirl" the shirt.

 

[MissSabrinaLee]

I decided yesterday that I wanted to make one of these...

Front

and...

Back!

I'm happy with the Mickey head and the spiral on the back, but I think I would have liked a little more color on the front. Overall pretty happy for a spontaneous and fun project!

 

[Jays2013]

I'm about to try making these. Thanks for a fascinating thread.

As I understand it, you wash and dry the shirts, then trace and stitch the Mickey head, pull it tight and rubber-band it ... then wet the shirt down again? The instructions with my kit say to wash the shirts, then use them damp from the washer ... but it seems like that wouldn't work well with tracing.

Also, I don't really sew. I know what a basting stitch is and can manage that, but when you're done and have pulled it tight, do you tie it off? Just wrap it around the Mickey head? What?

Also, I see you're should wash them in hot water after the whole thing, but ... doesn't that make them shrink pretty badly?

Thanks for any advice.