Tie dye can get very messy especially with little kids.
This is an alternative using Sharpie markers and
rubbing alcohol that will eliminate a lot of the mess.
Great for younger kids that want to be involved. Get
the whole family involved. Make some matching shirts
for family and friends. Have fun and make memories.
You will need
Pre-washed white cotton t-shirt
Sharpie® Permanent Markers
Plastic Cup or large piece of cardboard
Rubber Bands
Rubbing Alcohol (70% from the Drug Store)
Dropper Bottle, Medicine Dropper, or Spray Bottle
* Note
If you have a piece of cardboard that is big enough to
fit all the way across the inside of the shirt you can do
the whole shirt at once instead of in circles. You can
also just do certain parts of the shirt and not the whole
thing. Get creative and think up some patterns.
Instructions
1. Place the plastic cup inside the middle of the t-shirt. Position
the opening of the cup directly under the section of the shirt
that you want to decorate. Stretch the rubber band over the
t-shirt and the cup to secure the shirt in place.
2. Take your Sharpie markers and make dots or designs of
different colors in the middle of the circle. Remember that the
design will bleed and blend some.
3. Slowly squeeze approximately 20 drops of rubbing alcohol
into the center of the circle of dots. As the rubbing alcohol
absorbs into the fabric, the ink spreads out, expanding
outward from the center. The result is a beautiful flower-like
pattern, however, students often remark that the design looks
like the colorful surface of a compact disc.
4. Apply as much or as little rubbing alcohol as desired. The
more rubbing alcohol the more the colors will spread and
blend. Allow the developed design to dry for 3 to 5 minutes
before moving on to a new area of the shirt.
Ideas
You'll enjoy experimenting with various patterns, dot sizes,
and color combinations. Instead of using dots, try drawing a
small square with each side being a different color, or use
primary colors to draw a geometric shape, and accent it with
dots of secondary colors. Half circles, wavy lines, and
polygons all make unique patterns when rubbing alcohol
travels across the ink. Your designs are only limited by your
imagination. Try as many different patterns as you like. The
secret is to keep your patterns small and in the center of the
design area on the shirt. DO NOT flood the design area with
rubbing alcohol. The key is to drip the rubbing alcohol slowly
in the center of the shirt and allow the molecules of ink to
spread outward from the center.
Set The Color
To set the color in the shirt you will need to let the shirt fully
dry. This step is important because rubbing alcohol is also
flammable. When the shirt is fully dry put it in the drier for
about 15 minutes to heat set it. To do this as a class at school
or somewhere with no drier available you can dip the shirts in
a solution of vinegar and water.
Teach while you have fun
This is really a lesson in the concepts of solubility, color
mixing, and the movement of molecules. The Sharpie markers
contain permanent ink, which will not wash away with water.
However, the molecules of ink are soluble in another solvent
called rubbing alcohol. This solvent carries the different colors
of ink with it as it spreads in a circular pattern from the center
of the shirt.
This is an alternative using Sharpie markers and
rubbing alcohol that will eliminate a lot of the mess.
Great for younger kids that want to be involved. Get
the whole family involved. Make some matching shirts
for family and friends. Have fun and make memories.
You will need
Pre-washed white cotton t-shirt
Sharpie® Permanent Markers
Plastic Cup or large piece of cardboard
Rubber Bands
Rubbing Alcohol (70% from the Drug Store)
Dropper Bottle, Medicine Dropper, or Spray Bottle
* Note
If you have a piece of cardboard that is big enough to
fit all the way across the inside of the shirt you can do
the whole shirt at once instead of in circles. You can
also just do certain parts of the shirt and not the whole
thing. Get creative and think up some patterns.
Instructions
1. Place the plastic cup inside the middle of the t-shirt. Position
the opening of the cup directly under the section of the shirt
that you want to decorate. Stretch the rubber band over the
t-shirt and the cup to secure the shirt in place.
2. Take your Sharpie markers and make dots or designs of
different colors in the middle of the circle. Remember that the
design will bleed and blend some.
3. Slowly squeeze approximately 20 drops of rubbing alcohol
into the center of the circle of dots. As the rubbing alcohol
absorbs into the fabric, the ink spreads out, expanding
outward from the center. The result is a beautiful flower-like
pattern, however, students often remark that the design looks
like the colorful surface of a compact disc.
4. Apply as much or as little rubbing alcohol as desired. The
more rubbing alcohol the more the colors will spread and
blend. Allow the developed design to dry for 3 to 5 minutes
before moving on to a new area of the shirt.
Ideas
You'll enjoy experimenting with various patterns, dot sizes,
and color combinations. Instead of using dots, try drawing a
small square with each side being a different color, or use
primary colors to draw a geometric shape, and accent it with
dots of secondary colors. Half circles, wavy lines, and
polygons all make unique patterns when rubbing alcohol
travels across the ink. Your designs are only limited by your
imagination. Try as many different patterns as you like. The
secret is to keep your patterns small and in the center of the
design area on the shirt. DO NOT flood the design area with
rubbing alcohol. The key is to drip the rubbing alcohol slowly
in the center of the shirt and allow the molecules of ink to
spread outward from the center.
Set The Color
To set the color in the shirt you will need to let the shirt fully
dry. This step is important because rubbing alcohol is also
flammable. When the shirt is fully dry put it in the drier for
about 15 minutes to heat set it. To do this as a class at school
or somewhere with no drier available you can dip the shirts in
a solution of vinegar and water.
Teach while you have fun
This is really a lesson in the concepts of solubility, color
mixing, and the movement of molecules. The Sharpie markers
contain permanent ink, which will not wash away with water.
However, the molecules of ink are soluble in another solvent
called rubbing alcohol. This solvent carries the different colors
of ink with it as it spreads in a circular pattern from the center
of the shirt.
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