Tie Dye is one of those must do summer time activities for kids. Try this unique take on tie dye using permanent markers, and rubbing alcohol. Grab an old t-shirt or sweatshirt and give this project a try.
What you’ll need:
- Permanent markers (24 pack on Amazon)
- Isopropyl Rubbing Alcohol (70% or 90%)
- Pipette / Eye dropper (100 pack on Amazon)
- Cups or jars in various sizes
- Rubber bands
- T-shirts or sweatshirts, new or used
Here’s what we did:
Place a cup under area to be tie dyed and secure with a rubber band. A plastic tray underneath worked for larger areas too. Just something so the markers don’t bleed through.
Draw design. Anything works, lets the kids experiment. Designs closer together bleed together better, but don’t get hung up on those details. Just let the kids have fun with the markers.
Once the drawing is complete, add a few drops of rubbing alcohol to the center of the design and watch the colors spread. We had to use quite a bit of rubbing alcohol with the larger designs, just keep the dropper and rubbing alcohol handy and dribble as you like. Just don’t get the fabric too wet, or it takes a long time to dry.
Allow alcohol to evaporate, fabric should be dry to the touch.
Remove the rubber band, and move your cup, or try a different size cup to a new area of the shirt.
When all the alcohol is dry, set the design with heat in the dryer for 15 minutes. Do not put wet fabric in the dryer because it is flammable.
I hope you enjoy this process with your kids as much as we did!