Tie Dye Instructions for Spiral Mickey Shirt

[sandsummers]

http://pbckt.com/sW.l9Y

I finished my first 8 shirts last night. I have 4 children and we have 4 nieces and nephews going also. We leave Thursday!!! I was very pleased with the color, especially since this was my first time tie dying. But I think I used a little too much bleach pen and actually messed up the mickey heads a little. They looked great before I started trying to outline them. Next time I probably won't use the bleach unless the heads just look awful. I'm going to start some more today and try to attempt some Yoda ones for my boys.

Thank you PixieDust for ALL of your help!!!

 

[jjatwdw]

Sandsummers, I think your shirts looks great, especially for a first attempt. I like it when there is some white on the shirts. At least you won't lose track of any of your kids!

 

[PixieDust32]

You did great for being your first time! way to go! And don't worry, we all make bo bos, that's how we learn.

Have fun and enjoy your shirts, and it will be so easy to spot your kids, trust me!

 

[PixieDust32]

Those are awesome.

So let me see if I have the bleach pen process correct.
1. Wash and let the shirts dry after dyeing them.
2. Us the pen to draw around the Mickey ears making a THIN line (and making sure to have something in between the shirt's front and back like cardboard to prevent the bleach from bledding through the sirt.)
3. Let the bleach sit for a few hours.
4. Wash the shirts agin.

And lastly, is there one bleah pen that is better than another?

YES! you got it.

Mmm I got a gel pen, as long as the tip is thin.

 

[PixieDust32]

If you think that your mickey heads are fine don't use the bleach pen.

 

[brettcw23]

YES! you got it.

Mmm I got a gel pen, as long as the tip is thin.

Great thanks!
Oh....and did you use a template or draw free hand? The outline on yours is falwless!

 

[PixieDust32]

It depends, you can use your template if you want, I do mine free hand, if you template fits good on the shape then go for it, if not just follow your line, whatever you can feel more conformable.

 

[PixieDust32]

my latest designs...

 

[brettcw23]

1st off...TY to PixieDust for the MANY tips and to everyone else on this board.
The shirts are not perfect. But if I wanted perfect, I would have bought them off the rack! Some of the bleach pen efforts were beginner's mistakes, but some of the mistakes adds to the uniqueness of the product. I'm happy and I'm sure my family will be too!

 

[PixieDust32]

VERY VERY GOOD JOB!

You did so good, the thing with the bleach it happens, I messed up a couple shirts before so don't feel bad. But your colors are awesome, your spirals too. Love the bling on the girls shirts!

Thanks for sharing your work ♥

 

[JennyMP03]

These shirts are just adorable. I've been sitting here saying, "Wow! That's amazing!" at pretty much every picture I see in the thread!

I hope to make these for myself and my 16 year old cousin for a trip May 2011. I was thinking I'd do tank tops for the two of us. Do any of you think tank tops are any more difficult or easier than a regular tee? If regular t-shirts are easier, I'll start with that instead. Thanks!

 

[PixieDust32]

These shirts are just adorable. I've been sitting here saying, "Wow! That's amazing!" at pretty much every picture I see in the thread!

I hope to make these for myself and my 16 year old cousin for a trip May 2011. I was thinking I'd do tank tops for the two of us. Do any of you think tank tops are any more difficult or easier than a regular tee? If regular t-shirts are easier, I'll start with that instead. Thanks!

The process is the same, they about the same, and actually easier to fold/twist because they're smaller than regular t shirts.

 

[robinb]

Wow everyone! Your shirts are AMAZING!

 

[PixieDust32]

 

[dianemom2]

I saw this thread about a month ago and I have been doing some reading. These questions are probably answered in previous posts but I think I missed them. My daughters and I are going to try and do the shirts tomorrow or the day after. They're on spring break and I thought this would be lots of fun to try.

1. After doing the tie dying when do I take the rubber bands and dental floss off the Mickey head? Before I rinse out the shirts or after?

2. I have not been able to find a bleach pen at the store. I am hoping that I won't need it. But if I need to outline the Mickey, do you think it would work if I dip a toothpick into liquid bleach and use that?

I don't want to mess up the shirts. This will be the first thing I have tie dyed in about a million years!

 

[PixieDust32]

I saw this thread about a month ago and I have been doing some reading. These questions are probably answered in previous posts but I think I missed them. My daughters and I are going to try and do the shirts tomorrow or the day after. They're on spring break and I thought this would be lots of fun to try.

1. After doing the tie dying when do I take the rubber bands and dental floss off the Mickey head? Before I rinse out the shirts or after?

You take them out when you are ready to wash them, after the shirts sat for 24 hours.

2. I have not been able to find a bleach pen at the store. I am hoping that I won't need it. But if I need to outline the Mickey, do you think it would work if I dip a toothpick into liquid bleach and use that?

Yes, you can do that too, I know some places don't sell bleach pen anymore.

I don't want to mess up the shirts. This will be the first thing I have tie dyed in about a million years!

If you have an old cotton shirt laying around (I stole my DH's Shirts ) try on one of them first.

Make sure your shirts are 100% cotton.
Make sure your dye is fiber reactive dye (for tie dye), tulip, jacquard or any kit that is for tie dye.
Soak them in soda ash, some kits already had the soda ash in the dye and don't require this step.
If you don't want a lot of white, make sure your add enough dye in between folds.
Let the shirts sit for 24 hours, then remove rubber bands and wash them.

 

[dianemom2]

I had already done some reading about this and I ordered stuff from Dharma. I got blue for the Mickey head and orange, pink and green for the spiral. I did the soaking and dying yesterday. I can't wait to start rinsing later today to see how they turned out. I might have gone crazy with the rubber bands around the Mickey basting line. I put like 4 or 5 on each shirt.

 

[GoofyWalker]

robinb,

While these are not "my" colors that I like to wear or work with, I LOVE this shirt!! Mickey, surrounded by sunshine rays and blue sky, what could be better!! Both cheery and original. Great job!

GoofyWalker

 

[GoofyWalker]

When I have run out of the Clorox gel bleach pen, i have used a paint brush dipped in regular liquid bleach.

There is also a "pen" that you can find in the scrapbooking section of your craft store that will work. It is a hollow plastic tube with a bristle brush on the tip. The brush screws off, and you can fill the pen with liquid bleach. A slight squeeze on the plastic barrel delivers bleach down into the bristles.

Hope this helps!

GoofyWalker

 

[PixieDust32]

Thank you for the tip GoofyWalker, I had never seen those pens! Thanks