Other Sewing Projects - Tie-Dye
Dresses, Headbands & Socks, August 2003
I did not sew these, they are all Dharma blanks (except for the old white socks we already had). I dyed these using the leftover cords from the shirt project below. Lucy's outfit (left) was tied with blue cords; Melanie's (right) was tied with purple cords. Then I simmered them all together and the overall color turned out to be the nice periwinkle-purple. So the outfits coordinate, but are not identical, because Lucy's has definite blue patches and Melanie's has, oddly, enough, maroon patches, which is what the purple cords turned into where they touched the fabric. I may have simmered it too hot (resulting in maroon), but they're still pretty nice.
Romper, July 2003
This was done by NMSL's very own Esther, using the tie-dye cords also. (And a beautiful panel from?) Thank you so much!!
Shirts, July 2003
Okay, this is not really sewing, but it was my first attempt at tie-dye. (With the help of 8 toddlers, LOL!). I used the tie-dye cords sold by Dharma Trading Co. What ended up working the best was cutting short lengths of cord and tying them in various places. I also used rubber bands on other parts of the shirts for variation. Also, I only did complimentary colors on each shirt (i.e., colors that are okay when mixed, such as red, yellow, and orange). Otherwise they turned brown in the dye water. The kids did do some of the tying, with help, but I finished, bundled, and boiled them all. Two children wouldn't even touch their shirts, so those I did entirely by myself (and had the most fun!). One of those children has apparently insisted on wearing nothing but her tie-dyed shirt for days. I also ironed on the camp name using transfer paper from Dharma. I had wanted to do a picture of the kids as well as the camp name, but the dye showed through the light parts of the picture on my test (making the kids' faces look strange colors), so I gave up and just did the name in black. It came out nice, but I've only washed Melanie's shirt once and the transfer is already wearing off.
Definitely a learning experience for all concerned. I'm happy with how the shirts came out, but I'm not sure I'd plan to do this activity with 2-year-olds again.