Flames of Love Tie Dye T-Shirt

Benetta
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Flames of Love Tie Dye T-Shirt - pretty long sleeve tie dye shirt Our economy in South Africa has been hit by a rough patch. We have been downgraded by the rating agencies, which has significantly raised the cost of living. I love clothes that are unique, but most clothing items have just become too expensive. Here is a great way to add a modern touch to a cheap white T-shirt, without breaking the bank in the process.

Total Time: weekend project if drying time is included

Yield: one T-shirt

Supplies:

white T-shirt ~ I used one with long sleeves, as we are now in our fall season
packet of red T-shirt dye
packet of yellow T-shirt dye
roll of 1mm wide cotton twine
two rubber bands
pair of rubber gloves
25 toy glass marbles
three glass pebbles
standard scissors
stainless steel pot
iron and ironing board

Steps:

Wash the shirt and rinse it thoroughly in cold water to remove any sizing agent from the material. Note: Do not add fabric softener when rinsing the shirt. Allow the shirt to dry before proceeding to the next step.
Prepare the shirt for the tie dying:

A: At the right shoulder area, put a marble between the front and back of the shirt. Wrap the front of the shirt around the marble and tie around the fabric with 1mm twine to keep the marble in place.

B: Repeat with eleven more marbles, tying them to random places all over the front of the shirt.

C: For the last 13 marbles, wrap the back of the shirt around each marble and tie around the fabric with 1mm twine to keep the marbles in place.

D: Do the same with the three glass pebbles, i.e. wrap the front or back of the shirt around the pebble and tie with string.

E: Crumple the shirt and tie it with 1mm twine to keep it in position. Now you are ready to color the shirt!

Flames of Love Tie Dye T-Shirt - place marble near shoulder and tie with twine to the front

Flames of Love Tie Dye T-Shirt - randomly place 11 more marbles on front of shirt and tie in place

Flames of Love Tie Dye T-Shirt - repeat on the back with the remaining marbles and the glass pebbles

Flames of Love Tie Dye T-Shirt - crumple the shirt and tie with the twine

Dissolve the yellow dye powder in a liter of boiling water. Once the powder has dissolved, add more water to the pot. The pot should have enough water to completely cover the shirt. Bring the colored water to a boil. Wet the shirt in cold water, and then add it to the pot with the boiling dye solution. Keep boiling the pot on the stove for 15-20 minutes. Stir the pot regularly to make sure that the shirt gets dyed on all sides.
Note: Wear rubber gloves when following this step. Take the shirt out of the pot and rinse it in your sink with cold water to remove any excess dye. Keep rinsing until the water is clean and then gently cut off the twine added when the shirt was crumpled. DO NOT remove the rest of the twine, i.e. those around the marbles and glass pebbles.

Fold the shirt into a rectangle and use the two rubber bands to secure the folds. Then tie it with twine again, the same as you did when the shirt was crumpled in step 2e.

Flames of Love Tie Dye T-Shirt - after treating with the yellow dye and rinsing fold into a rectangle and tie again with twine and repeat dye step with the red

Repeat step 3, this time using the red dye powder.
Wear rubber gloves again when following this step. Take the shirt out of the pot and rinse it in your sink with cold water to remove any excess dye. Keep rinsing until the water is clean and then gently cut off all the bands and twine.
Hang the shirt in a shady area, or toss it into the tumble dryer. Iron it properly and voila!