Patriotic USA Flag Tie Dye Shirt Tutorial!

Patriotic USA Flag Tie Dye Shirt Tutorial!

Learn how to tie dye a cotton shirt into a patriotic striped shirt! Red, White and Blue are the colors of Summer--and Tie Dye is the craft of summertime!  This shirt is the perfect way to celebrate the 4th of July and the United States of America's independence day in style!

Great for wearing to the local parade, family party or at a fun firework show!  Make one for everyone in the family.

Supplies needed for Patriotic USA Flag Tie Dye Shirt:

100% Cotton White T-Shirts 
(They HAVE to be 100% cotton...this is critical)

Tulip Tie Dye Party Box or Red and Blue

Zip Ties 

Cookie Cooling Rack 

Plastic Tablecloth

Getting Started:

These 2 small bottles of Red and Blue did 2 shirts. 

Wet the Shirts:

Begin by pre-washing the t-shirts, but don't dry them. Soak them in a dish of luke warm water until ready to start the dying. Then wring them out to get started.

Lay the shirt out on your covered table.  The Tie Dye Party box comes with a plastic surface and gloves, but I just used a plastic tablecloth and a garbage bag.

Tie the Shirt:

Pull the bottom right corner of the shirt and the top left shoulder to begin the gathering process.

Scrunch the shirt along that line.

Then add zip ties.  The first zip tie should be at the bottom corner and then work the way up to the shoulder...the last section (that will be dyed blue) should include the sleeve and the collar.

I did 2 shirts, one had 3 red stripes, the other had 5...but it should have an odd number of red stripes.  This way the stripe right under the blue is red and the very end of the shirt is red.  

Then place the shirt on the baking rack.  This rack is critical because it keeps the shirt off the table, so the excess dye drips off and the shirt doesn't sit in puddles of dye and mess up the colors.

Dye the Shirt:

Fill the bottle to the line with warm water and shake until well mixed. Follow the package directions.

Add blue dye to the big section of the shirt.

Add red to the stripe right next to the blue section and then skip the next section to leave it white.  Continue this pattern until done.

Then turn the shirt over and fill the backside with the same colors.

Repeat for the larger shirt with additional stripes.  These 2 shirts used all the dye in the bottles.

Set Aside for Hours:

Then place the shirt in a plastic bag and wrap it carefully so the shirt doesn't touch other parts of the shirt in the bag.  Wrapping the shirt in cling wrap is a good way to start too.  Then set the plastic bag out in the sun for 6-8 hours.

Wash the Shirt:

After the curing time is over, carefully remove the shirt from the bag and rinse in the sink.  Use scissors to carefully clip the zip ties off the shirt and continue to rinse the shirt until the water runs clear.  

Then put it in the washing machine on a regular wash.  This immediate washing will help the colors not to run into the white stripes or each other.

The dye will lighten slightly after drying.  It's so easy and makes such a great shirt!  Get a big group together and make a bunch with friends.  This Tulip Tie Dye Party Box has tons of colors that are perfect for loads of tie dye fun!

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