This 4th of July Shirts tutorial is sponsored by Tulip. All opinions are ours alone.
Today we’re going to show you how we made these Tie Dye 4th of July Shirts – perfect for matching with the whole family!
Tie dye and summer holidays go hand in hand, and there is nothing more iconic to wear throughout the summer than red, white, and blue. You can wear it for everything from Memorial Day in May, to the Fourth of July, to Labor Day in September — this classic combo of colors never goes out of style.
We love to tie dye with this patriotic color palette because the result are bold and festive, but we have found that it can be a little tricky to keep the colors distinct and separate, so we’ll give you our best tips for getting it right. So grab your supplies (you can find everything you need at Joann), and let’s make them!
Supplies needed to make Matching Tie Dye 4th of July Shirts
White cotton sweatshirt
Tie Dye
How to make Matching Tie Dye 4th of July Shirts
Step 1: Wet the sweatshirt and wring out until damp.
Tip: The drier your fabric, the less the dye will spread. If you want to be extra careful about keeping your reds and blues separate, wring out your fabric thoroughly.
Step 2: Prepare the dye by filling the red and blue bottles with water. Shake thoroughly to mix the powder dye with the water.
Step 3: On a dye-safe surface, twist the sweatshirt in a spiral pattern, and secure with two rubber bands, dividing the spiral into four quarters. If you have never bound this way before, this is a great reference.
Tip: Certain binding methods lend themselves to keeping colors separate. We love the spiral design, but you can also choose a different fold or bind that incorporates both colors but helps them avoid touching, like a stripe or dipped effect.
Step 4: Apply blue dye to one quarter of the bound sweatshirt. Then, flip over the sweatshirt and apply blue dye to the same quarter on the other side.
Step 5: Apply red dye to the opposite quarter of the bound sweatshirt. Flip over the sweatshirt and apply red dye to the same quarter on the other side.
Step 6: Put the bound sweatshirt in a large ziplock bag and let the dye set for 8-24 hours (we recommend 24 hours to get a vibrant red).
Step 7: Once the dye is set, remove the rubber bands from the sweatshirt and rinse until the water runs clear. Wash and dry alone.
Happy making!