Make your own Tie Dye Towel DIY

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I’ve been wanting to tie dye some random goodies around the house (socks, shirts, towels, onesies and the like) for a while now.  So yesterday, I got busy mixing up and making me a batch of tie dye to do just that!   Here’s a fun project that is super, super easy and you end up with a cool, random finished project!  Part of the fun of tie dye is that it is totally unpredictable!  I like it for that reason, cause I’m kinda random and unpredictable. LOL.  Here’s how I made this colorful tie dye towel for summer!

I started out with this fun Tulip One-Step Tie Dye kit and surface cover.  You can totally get these on Amazon!  My fave kit is the 18 pack cause you get enough to make the towel and a bunch of other stuff.  It also includes the surface cover as well.  Here’s the link to this kit via Amazon.

I next used the rubber bands in the kit to tie random areas of my towel.  I didn’t have a rhyme or reason as to how I did this, I just scattered them all over in a “starburst” pattern. This technique is one of the many techniques called out in the packaging directions!

I next dampened the towel and rung out the water in the sink.  Man, that sucker was heavy after doing that. Terrycloth really holds the water!

William helped me fill the tie dye bottles.  He was a sport and helped me out with this project in between grading papers! There’s always time for a crafting break, don’t you agree?
 
Here’s how the colors turn out once filled.  The dye comes already in the bottles and there’s another packet of each dye color, so you can refill them.  They make for a great craft at a party or family gathering!

Next, William randomly squeezed the dye colors in a Homer bucket I picked up at Home Depot.  If you are really wanting to minimize the mess during tie dye, I suggest this method. It keeps the dye contained in one spot.  I encouraged William to get all the areas of the towel with dye.  Anytime you tie dye and leave white areas, that part will stay white.  That’s why I always recommend people to just SATURATE it!  Hmm, that should be our new Tie Dye slogan!  A lot of times you can even use the tie dye in the bucket to “clean up” the mess.

Lay the towel out on the plastic surface cover and fold the plastic also on top of the towel. Let the dye set overnight or atleast 6-8 hours.

Now run your towel under the water in the sink until all the dye is out. You know the dye is out when the water runs clear!  Cut off your rubber bands and place in the washer and set to large load. Put it on the hottest water suitable for fabric and use a little laundry detergent.  Wash this towel by itself or with other items you may have dyed. DO NOT wash it with your other clothes only unless you want them to be dyed as well! I’m betting you probably wouldn’t be happy about that!

And there you go!  You have a one-of-a-kind towel perfect for the beach or pool!  Here’s just a couple troubleshooting tips that I would like to let you know about.

– Make sure you are using 100% natural fabrics!  This dye works best on it. I’m not sure if my towel was totally 100% natural fabric or not. I need to make sure I note that next time as well for my t-shirts. I used a 50/50 blend of shirt and it turned out a little dull 🙁  BTW, I bought the kind sold with the tie dye at the craft store. My company doesn’t make the shirts, so we don’t always have a say in what shirts get promoted with it.  Just a little FYI if you buy the shirts at the craft store. Just make sure to check the tag!
– Even different 100% fabrics will vary!  I suggest playing around with different shirts and natural materials to see which ones work best for you in dyeing…esp. if you plan on doing a giant batch for a personal or group project. A little pre-test will make the world of difference.
– Don’t be too picky when it comes to tie dye!  You kinda gotta let go and just enjoy the ride.  How very hippie of me, huh?  Haha. No, the minute you start stressing over it, is the minute it doesn’t become fun.  Tie dye truly is one of those crafts that everyone from age 3 to 103 can enjoy, so let your hair down!
Enjoy this handy dandy guide for making your next tie dye project! There’s so many fun techniques to try out!
Happy tie dyeing everyone!
Until next time Swellions!
Alexa