How to Firecracker Tie Dye a T-Shirt
The Fourth of July is right around the corner! Do you have your red white and blue firecracker popsicles ready? Do you have your matching USA tees for the fam? Well, what if we combined the two of those beloved traditions to create a firecracker tie dye tee, perfect for the most patriotic day of the year?
Let’s do it!
We made this firecracker tie dye t-shirt with a cotton t-shirt and some red and blue tie dye. The trick is to be as careful as possible during your dye application so that your dye doesn’t seep too much to the middle and ruin your white stripe. (For more tips on binding, setting and more tie dye projects, check out our tie dye book, here!) Then, once the dye is set and dry, we used fabric paint and a stencil to add even more USA pride. Here is what you’ll need to make your own:
Supplies needed to make a Firecracker Tie Dye Shirt
2 Rubber bands
Plastic wrap
Gallon zip lock bag
Stencil
Paint brush
How to make a Firecracker Tie Dye Shirt
Watch our class with Tulip for Michaels, or read the steps below!
Step 1: Scrunch a damp t-shirt into a tube shape, then bind it with a rubber band about 1/3 of the way from the top. Repeat by binding it with a rubber band on the bottom third.
Step 2: Prepare your dye according to package directions. Then, on a raised rack in the sink or over a dye-safe container, carefully saturate the top third of the shirt with red dye. Let the excess dye drip for a few minutes. Then wrap the red portion in plastic wrap to prevent colors spreading to other areas of the shirt.
Step 3: Rinse any residual red dye off your rack, then saturate the bottom third of the shirt with blue dye. Again, let the excess dye drip for a few minutes. Then wrap the blue portion in plastic wrap.
Step 4: Place the shirt in a ziplock bag with the white section at the top, and prop the bag up so gravity can help keep the colors from spreading too much into the white. Let the dye set. We recommend letting it set for 24 hours to get a rich red.
Step 5: Rinse the shirt with cold water until it runs clear. Wash by hand or in the washing machine (we recommend washing it alone), and dry.
Step 6: Place your stencil in the desired location, then apply a thin coat of fabric paint. Let dry, then repeat with additional coats until you’ve achieved the desired opacity. Let dry completely.
Happy making!
ox. Sam and Liz
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