Tie Dye Madness

I have been out of town for a while & now I am back!  On my trip to visit my family we discovered a new craft!  Tie Dye!  I must WARN you.... Tie Dye is extremely addicting so read the rest of this post at your own risk :)  Here's how it's done:

FIRST: Scour every Wal Mart, Target, Discount store for white shirts, white shorts, white dresses, white skirts, white fabric....you get the picture!

 SECOND:  Wash and dry all the white clothing.

 My sis with a large basket of clothes

THIRD:  Soak the white clothes in Soda Ash - just follow the directions on the box.  (I think this step is optional - but we opted to use it)

 FOURTH:  Wring out the Soda Ash and let the clothes dry until just damp - you don't want them dripping wet

FIFTH:  Now the fun part begins!  Time to swirl, twirl, fold, and scrunch....oh and tie!  We looked up ideas and pictures on the internet for patterns.  You kinda just go for it & hope for the best.  That is where the addiction comes in - there are so many possibilities & they are so fun to do!

 We like to alternate swimming and tying!  Above is my sis-in-law Megan & brother.

SIXTH:  Mix the dye according to the directions - we used the Tulip brand they sell at Wal Mart & Michaels.  You have to work fast on the next part because the dye is only active for up to 45 minutes!  We had about 35 shirts to do - yikes!

 I guess we did too much swimming because it got dark & we ended up dying all the shirts in the dark with flashlights!  I don't recommend this :)  You have to have a clean surface for each side of the shirt - so we had to hose off the area to keep it dye free.  It was a little crazy.

SEVENTH:  Dye the shirts.  You are supposed to put the light colors on first, then add darker colors.  There are lots of fun pictures & videos on the internet showing different ways to color them.  After a while we were just squirting dye at random!

After you dye the shirts, tie them up in a plastic bag and let them sit for at least 24 hours - longer is better.   Then the fun part begins - it's like Christmas!  Unwrap each shirt and behold your creations!!

 Megan's SF Giants shirt

 Tie Dyed fabric

 Megan's scallop

 Melinda's single swirl

 My triple swirl

 Ella's Heart

 Mallory's striped shorts

 Logan's spiral

Final Note:  After you unwrap your shirts hang them up to dry completely.  Ours were still pretty wet & drippy.  Once dry, rinse them in the washer (no soap) and dry.  I am careful to wash tie-dye together just in case it runs or bleeds in the wash.

Afternoon Tea

 Sally and I needed something to do so we had a tea party!  First we made flower spritz cookies with pink & purple sprinkles.  Then we made cucumber sandwiches. 

 Sally put on her Rapunzel dress and we put up a few streamers & set the table.  (Yes, vintage tablecloth from a garage sale 50 cents!)

 For our tea we made some cherry lemonade and Sally choose the Alice in Wonderland tea pot.

 Notice the pinky finger!

We had such a nice time sitting in the backyard and visiting.  I wish we could do this everyday!!

Making Jam!

 We were at the beach today and bought a flat of strawberries.  My whole house smells like hot strawberry ham - sooooo yummy!

4th of July Ruffle Shirt Tutorial

 

I had fun making these patriotiec ruffle t-shirts.  They sew up really quick & don't they look festive!

First you need to rummage through everyone's closet or a garage sale and find red, white, and blue old t-shirts.  

 

 Next, using your rotary cutter, cut the shirts into 1 1/4" strips. 

  

I used my Bernina foot #16 - the "Ruffle" foot.  I LOVE this foot!  It is so much fun to use.  Set the tension on 10 and bump the stitch length all the way up.  Then hit the gas & it ruffles for you!  If you don't have a ruffle foot, just ruffle the strips by sewing gathering stitches.

Once you have all your ruffles made, lay them on your shirt and pin in place.  WARNING: You might want to try the shirt on at this point.  I did not try the shirt on and just sewed the ruffles.  I found they hit my chest in a weird place - so I UN-STITCHED them & made them shorter.  Uggggh

Sew the ruffles on following the stitching on the ruffle.  I used matching thread so the stitches wouldn't stand out so much.

And now you are ready for a picnic, a parade, or a party!!

4th of July t-Shirts

 While my sister was here visiting we made nine 4th of July T-shirts.  We decided to go with gray T-shirts so the Red, White & Blue would all stand out.

 The USA shirts are for the boys age 3 and 8.  I painted the fireworks on using THIS technique - it involves stamping with pipecleaners!  Then I appliqued the USA letters on the shirts.  We wanted it to look very "boy" - it's challenging to make boy shirts without getting too cutesie!  I think they worked!

The Star shirts are for the girls age 12 & 11. 

I love the "necklace" shirt.  These are for the girls age 4 and 7.  I secretly want one for me!!

 

The cupcake shirt is for Hallie who is almost 1.  

 

The mommies needed shirts too.  I decided to go with a ruffle shirt instead of applique.  I have been saving old T-shirts like crazy to use for ruffles - so it was time I actually used some.  Click HERE for the tutorial on how to make this fun, festive,  ruffle shirt. 

Matching Skirts Entry Was Choosen as a Finalist!!

I submitted entries into each of the 4 categories on the Ellison Lane Quilts Summer Sewing Contest.  My matching skirts entry made it as a finalist!!  If you like my skirts you can click HERE to vote!  There are so many talented finalists - I am happy to be part of it!

Ruffled Tote Bags

 

 I love sewing these ruffled tote bags.  They are perfect to use as a purse or to give as gifts.  I love projects like this where you get to have fun coming up with fabric combinations.  I have posted the tutorial HERE if you want to make one for yourself!  I am entering this in the Summer Sewing Contest at Ellison Lane Quilts.

  

Here are a few others I have made:

 

Thanks for stopping by!