Altered Tie-Dye T-shirt Challenge featuring Cathy of Trinkets in Bloom

Summer and tie dye just seem to go perfectly together and this DIY Tie Dye Beach Cover Up, made using Tulip’s Tie Dye Kit, is just the thing you need to keep cool and chic on the beach this summer! And with a fun contrast trim, you can easily wear this dress for lunch or drinks after a day of sunning! Stay cool!

TOOLS & MATERIALS:

1 T-shirt (Large/long enough to fit you like a short dress.)

1 Tulip Tie Dye Kit (I used Moody Blues)

Scissors

Sewing machine

Pins

Ruler or tape measure

Ric rac or other trim (optional)

step 1

Prepare your dye and the space where you will be dyeing your shirt.

I used my bathtub, but if you have a space where you can do it outside, that would work too.

First I laid down a large trash bag, then two layers of paper towels to catch the drips. Then I used a baking rack on top. The baking rack it really great to keep your fabric from sitting in the dye which can be bad especially if you’re using more than one color.

Fill the bottle with the dye powder up to the fill line with water and shake.

step 2

Time to tie your shirt.

I used an accordion pleat to make this design.

Lay your shirt out flat and make vertical pleats about 1.5 inches wide.

When your shirt is all pleated, wrap rubber bands about every 3 inches.
Make sure your rubber bands are very tight.

step 3

Lay your shirt on the baking rack you’ve prepared for dying.

Squeeze the dye onto your shirt in the center of each section.

Let your dye set for 6-8 hours. The longer you let your dye sit the stronger
and darker your color will be.

step 4

When your dye is ready cut off your rubber bands and rinse your shirt.

Keep rinsing your shirt until the water runs clear. (This can take awhile.)

Then wash and dry your shirt according to the instructions that came with your dye.

step 5

Lay your shirt out flat and measure where you will cut. 

You can also put your shirt on and pin along the neck where you want to cut.

Use a ruler or tape measure to make sure you cut a straight line from your neck to your arm hole.

TIP: Make the back side a little wider than the front.

step 6

Cut around the neck band on the sides and down in a straight line to the arm hole.
Do this for both sides.

step 7

Turn your shirt inside out and try it on.

Pin the sides of your shirt to fit snugly under your your arms, this will keep the armholes from gaping.

Take your shirt off and lay it out flat.

Use your tape measure to make a straight line from where you pinned your arm hole to the bottom hem of your shirt.

step 8

Using your sewing machine, sew a straight seam down each side of your shirt where you pinned it.

Before you turn it right side out or cut anything try it on again to make sure it fits the way you want.

Then cut off the extra fabric on your seams.

step 9

After all my sewing and cutting I couldn’t help but want to add something else. RIC RAC!!!

(Fortunately I had this great hot pink large ric rac just waiting to be used!)

Pin your ric rac to the bottom of your shirt and around your armholes. 

Use your sewing machine very carefully sew your ric rac on right down the center of it and right along the edge of your shirt.

For more fashion DIY's from Trinkets in Bloom click here.

Add some sunnies, cute flip flops, sunshine and you’re ready for a day at the beach!

How to make Rainbow Tie Dye Shoes

I've been seeing a lot of super cute tie dye shoes online and on Instagram lately.  I knew that I had to make a pair for a special little girl...my niece Ava.  She's a spunky little girl with a lot of personality, so I think rainbow tie dye shoes are totally perfect for her.  They are not hard at all to make, so let me show you how it's done using Tulip One-Step Tie-Dye!

What you need: 

– Tulip One-Step Tie-Dye Neon Kit

– Pair of white cotton shoes (mine were from Target)

– Spray bottle with water

– Tulip Surface Covers or plastic bags or tablecloths to lay down to do your project on

– Sink, washer, and dryer

First lay out your surface cover and put your shoes on top. Now you'll want to add cold water to your dyes. All you have to do is fill, mix, and shake well!

Next spray the outside of your shoes with a spray bottle of water.  I did this so that I wouldn't soak dye into the striped insides of my shoes (I liked the colorful stripe pattern).

I mentally divided my shoes into 5 sections and started dyeing the first toe section with the fuchsia dye.

I added the next layer of dye (orange) right at the point where the fuchsia dye had stopped.

I continued until I filled in all my canvas areas of the shoe. As you can see, I blended the colors in a natural color order so they looked like a rainbow.

As you can see, the dye got onto the rubber sole.  It's nothing to worry about, because the sole will soak into the rubber.

Wrap your shoes in a plastic bag and let it sit 6-8 hours to let the dye set!  I actually left mine in the bag a whole day.  The longer you let your dye set, the more vibrant the colors will be!  Of course, don't leave them sitting for more than a day...you don't want any mildew action going on. LOL.

After they have set atleast 6-8 hours, wash them

thoroughly in the sink until all the dye is out and the water runs clear.

Pop these beauties into the washing machine (you can put them with other items you tie dyed as well in like colors) using a little laundry detergent. Dry in the dryer or let air dry.

You may want to do a double wash and dry before you actually wear them.  Since your feet can sweat a lot, it may be good to make extra sure you got all the dye out!

And here's how the shoes turned out...

 See those little streaks?  This is what happens when you don't shake the dye enough.  The powder doesn't get mixed all the way.  It's no biggie, to me...they add more character to the shoes!

 Here's how the backs look...

The top.

And the sides.

I also made my niece a cute tie dye dress from a dress I got at Old Navy.  I can't wait to see pictures of her wearing it!!


This is a kid's shoe project, but there is no reason you can't dye a pair of Ked's, Vans, Toms (or knockoff styles) in this same way for you to wear. 

Scrunch Dye Shirt DIY

Sometimes people only think of tie dye in bullseye and swirls; but the tie dye of today is much cooler and fashion forward. Here's one of the quickest and easiest ways to do tie dye on the fly that looks like you got it from the store! Once you try it you'll be hooked, we promise!

What you'll need for this project:
 – A 100% cotton tshirt
– Tulip One-Step Tie Dye in Fuchsia and Turquoise
– Spray bottle
– Surface cover

Play around with different colors of dye and different scrunching techniques for varied looks! This technique also works great with Tulip Fabric Sprays.