Today we want to share with you another arts & crafts technique that can be associated with water – tie-dye. Tie-dye is a fabric dyeing technique which is particularly popular during the summer fashion seasons in the United States. I’m sure you have seen T-shirts with colourful stains all over them. Tie-dye consists in folding and tying T-shirts in specific knots so that the stains and smudges create the required pattern. Clothes dyed with this technique can remind us of the hippie fashion days; yet tie-dyeing is a great idea for children parties or simply arts & crafts classes for pre-schoolers. It is such a wonderful activity – we’ve had considerable success in kindergartens where we’ve completed our educational programme this year.
MATERIALS
- white bandana / scarf, T-shirt or any other piece of cotton cloth
- fabric dyes
- foil to cover the table
- gloves
- foil bag / clingfilm
- rubber bands
- fabric markers, e.g. Sharpies (optional)
TIPS: 1. Read the instructions carefully before you buy the fabric dyes. Some dyes are not suitable for the tie-dye technique.
2. Soft 100% cotton (without any polyester or other synthetic fibres added in the fabric content) T-shirts are best for dyeing.
3. Before applying the dyes you can use markers to draw some patterns, e.g. a coral reef motif.
4. Dyes should remain on the fabric for at least 7-8 hours, preferably even up to 24 hours.
