Arts and Crafts **Tie Dye Mickey ears shirts directions**NEW NEW PICS LAST PAGE**

[caribear]

After seeing the gorgeous shirts on this thread I decided to try my hand at tie dye and bought a kit and some 100% cotton shirts at Walmart. They are still wrapped in plastic, but I know I really messed up. I think I used way too much dye......so now half my daughter's shirt will be black from the red/purple/blue/pink mixing together on the bottom of the plastic bag!! I was worried about not getting all the white inside the folds of the shirt...and I really went overboard.

How do you keep the colors from mixing when you are holding the shirt and dying it?? My gloves kept transfering the colors all over the place!

Does the left over dye mixture need to be tossed after using or can they be reused? I read that the color dilutes over time...but I wasn't sure how diluted they would get.

Oh well....I bought DS a shirt for $3.50 and DD a shirt for $5....all 100% cotton at Walmart....so I didn't waste too much money. Better not tell DH though

 

[LockShockBarrel]

I don't hold my shirts while I dye them, I use a cooling rack (like for cookies) and the excess dye can drip onto a covered table. I also have a roll of paper towels and wipe the dye off my gloves before I flip the shirt too, unless I really only have one color on my glove then I'll grab the shirt on that color (clear as mud, I know)

 

[caribear]

I don't hold my shirts while I dye them, I use a cooling rack (like for cookies) and the excess dye can drip onto a covered table. I also have a roll of paper towels and wipe the dye off my gloves before I flip the shirt too, unless I really only have one color on my glove then I'll grab the shirt on that color (clear as mud, I know)

Thanks for the info! I will try again on an old shirt and use a cooling rack....great idea!

 

[staceyj2]

Sorry, I have even more questions. This will be my first time doing the spiral style. If I am only using 2 colors how would I apply them? Do I alternate the dye on the sections of the pie? I am having a really hard time understanding how to make these shirts. Perhaps that is not a good sign???

 

[Mindyjoy]

After seeing the gorgeous shirts on this thread I decided to try my hand at tie dye and bought a kit and some 100% cotton shirts at Walmart. They are still wrapped in plastic, but I know I really messed up. I think I used way too much dye......so now half my daughter's shirt will be black from the red/purple/blue/pink mixing together on the bottom of the plastic bag!! I was worried about not getting all the white inside the folds of the shirt...and I really went overboard.

How do you keep the colors from mixing when you are holding the shirt and dying it?? My gloves kept transfering the colors all over the place!

Does the left over dye mixture need to be tossed after using or can they be reused? I read that the color dilutes over time...but I wasn't sure how diluted they would get.

Oh well....I bought DS a shirt for $3.50 and DD a shirt for $5....all 100% cotton at Walmart....so I didn't waste too much money. Better not tell DH though

Mine got a little mixed too, but still came out okay. It's tie dye so you really can't go wrong. I bet yours will look fine!

 

[Mindyjoy]

Sorry, I have even more questions. This will be my first time doing the spiral style. If I am only using 2 colors how would I apply them? Do I alternate the dye on the sections of the pie? I am having a really hard time understanding how to make these shirts. Perhaps that is not a good sign???

Yep, just alternate the colors like pizza slices. I made DF's shirt using just two colors and the pattern came out fine. Just make sure you get enough dye into the folds or else your shirt will have a lot of white.

 

[staceyj2]

Yep, just alternate the colors like pizza slices. I made DF's shirt using just two colors and the pattern came out fine. Just make sure you get enough dye into the folds or else your shirt will have a lot of white.

So you use the rubber bands as a guide as to where to stop the color? In the pictures it looks like you don't have to stop the color in between the bands so I just wanted to make sure.

 

[Mindyjoy]

So you use the rubber bands as a guide as to where to stop the color? In the pictures it looks like you don't have to stop the color in between the bands so I just wanted to make sure.

I have tried both ways. My first try I kept the color inside the rubberbands and made sure the colors overlaped a little bit. My second try I spaced the color so the rubberbands were in the middle of my "slice" of color, and I liked the way that one came out better than the first attempt. But really there is no wrong or right way to tie dye.

 

[caribear]

Mine got a little mixed too, but still came out okay. It's tie dye so you really can't go wrong. I bet yours will look fine!

You're right! My DD's shirt came out with lots of dark colors because of the mixing in the bag....but it still came out decent. Her mickey head came out good, but DS's shirt did not....the mickey color bled a lot....I will post pics after they dry.

Has anyone had problems with the tie dye bleeding onto their skin when they sweat??

 

[LockShockBarrel]

When doing the spiral, you can get different effects depending on how many "pie slices" you do. The more sections you have, the more "arms" your spiral will have. If you're doing 2 colors, you could do half the pie in one color, half in the other, and say you had red and blue...you'd end up with one large red spiral and one large blue spiral.

http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl...ge=6&ndsp=23&ved=1t:429,r:0,s:114&tx=73&ty=58 This link, hopefully, should show a blue shirt, this would have been done with 2 colors, half the shirt being dye with each color.

http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl...a0QHkoJn5CA&page=1&ndsp=21&ved=1t:429,r:8,s:0 This one would be if you did the shirt in quarters, with opposing quarters being the same color.

 

[PixieDust32]

 

[staceyj2]

When doing the spiral, you can get different effects depending on how many "pie slices" you do. The more sections you have, the more "arms" your spiral will have. If you're doing 2 colors, you could do half the pie in one color, half in the other, and say you had red and blue...you'd end up with one large red spiral and one large blue spiral.

http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl...ge=6&ndsp=23&ved=1t:429,r:0,s:114&tx=73&ty=58 This link, hopefully, should show a blue shirt, this would have been done with 2 colors, half the shirt being dye with each color.

http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl...a0QHkoJn5CA&page=1&ndsp=21&ved=1t:429,r:8,s:0 This one would be if you did the shirt in quarters, with opposing quarters being the same color.

Thanks for the picture links. That really helps. I think I like the one with more "pie pieces". My dye should be here this week so I can give this a try next weekend. Fingers crossed.

 

[Mrs Grumpy]

My first attempts. Need more practice!

 

[Mindyjoy]

My first attempts. Need more practice!

What are you talking about, these turned out great! A lot better than my first try.

 

[Mrs Grumpy]

What are you talking about, these turned out great! A lot better than my first try.

Well if you look at them up close the Mickey heads are not that great. They look better in the pictures.

 

[uncw89]

Well if you look at them up close the Mickey heads are not that great. They look better in the pictures.

I think they look great! The swirls turned out really good. Mine weren't nearly as good.

 

[barbnbrian]

Can someone post a link to a Mickey head template that we can print and cut out to trace? Thanks!

 

[Mrs Grumpy]

Can someone post a link to a Mickey head template that we can print and cut out to trace? Thanks!

I just did a google image search for mickey head and found one that I liked.

 

[PixieDust32]

They look awesome! Be proud of yourself!!

 

[staceyj2]

---Mrs. Grumpy

I love them! I hope mine turn out that well.