Group Kid-Friendly Tie-Dye Shirts Activity

I found these how-to links helpful:

• Procedure, generally*
• Different styles/effects

*General steps are to:

1. Use natural fiber shirts, e.g. white cotton
2. If shirts are new, pre-wash shirts (at home) to remove sizing
3. Wet shirts via soaking in warm water ("baby bath water temperature," they say) + ash mixture (comes in tie-dye kits)
• Wear rubber gloves, because ash is slightly caustic
4. Wring shirts dry or dry in washing machine's spin cycle
5. Protect yourself and your work area
• Use rubber gloves, plastic tablecloth, so many paper towels, and disposable plates
6. Dye shirts in whatever style you like (I will probably choose the "pie" method but who knows - see links above to find a style you like)
• Will need rubber bands (at least 5 per shirt)
• Tip: if you're using yellow, apply yellow first (darker colors will "eat" your yellow if you don't add the yellow first)
7. Place shirts in individual Ziploc bags for 24 hours
8. Run shirts under cold water (at home) until water runs clear
9. Wash shirts separately in washing machine at least once before mingling with general purpose laundry

Supplies:

• Natural fiber shirts (what I bought for a baby girl, and for a boy)
• Tie-dye kit (what I bought)
• Bucket(s) for soaking (note: tie-dye kit should include a small basin)
• Rubber gloves (what I bought)
• Plastic tablecloth
• Paper towels
• Disposable plates
• Plastic wrap and beans, if you choose to do polka dots in Step 6
• Rubber bands
• Gallon-size Ziploc bags