I LOVE a themed party & if you haven’t already guessed I thoroughly enjoy tie dye.
So why not combine the two & have an end of the summer BBQ? On Labor Day, I invited some friends over for some good food, fun & TIE DYE. I love a party where there’s an activity (but not a game or something that puts you on the spot- I HATE THAT). If the activity requires me to stand up & do something in front of a crowd of people- I’m so outta there! But when there’s an activity that you can casually partake in, where you’re creating something- I’m all about it.
Tie dye is something that everyone can do. There’s no right or wrong way to do it. There are no rules. And there’s really no way for you to screw up. You can create something that is 100% your vision & the best part- you can wear it over and over again. I personally think tie dye gets better the more you wash it (I prefer a pastel looking tie dye vs. the bright tie dye from the 70’s).
So in order to throw a kick ass tie dye party, you’ll need a few supplies:
- Rit All Purpose Liquid Dye
- This is the best quality dye in my opinion. There are TONS of color options available. I would pick at least 6 colors!
- Rit Color Safe Dye Fixative
- This is a must. It locks in the color & will prevent it from bleeding in the wash.
- Plastic Bowls
- Get large inexpensive plastic bowls to mix each dye in. I found some at the Dollar Store, but I’ve linked some inexpensive bowls here from Amazon.
- Disposable Gloves & Rubber Bands
- Essential items! You must cover you hands to prevent staining them & the rubber bands are an integral part of the dying process!
- Something white to dye
- I made a sweatshirt- I found this inexpensive white sweatshirt (only $9.97) but you can literally dye anything that is white & mostly made of cotton! Get creative!
A few tips:
- Do this project outside- it can be a bit messy.
- Put plastic down on the ground & on the table you are planning to use.
- Get a bucket or two full of water (you’ll need to rinse & wet your items to start) or make sure you have a hose readily available.
- Consult with Pinterest to get ideas on how you want your tie dye to look & how to roll and fold your item properly. Check out my Tie Dye Pinterest board for inspiration & steps on how to fold/roll your shirts.
- HAVE FUN!
I would also tell all your friends to bring multiple things to dye. Once you do one shirt, you’ll want to do several. Remember, there’s no right or wrong way to fold or prepare your shirt! Get creative & try different techniques! One thing I would do next time, is also have plastic squeeze top bottles with the dye in addition to the large plastic bowls to dip in. The bottles will give you more control of where the dye goes.
Here are some more of our finished products:
