Make Fun Tie Dye Heart Designs

  ✂︎

Favorite

Comment

List

       

Share

• 

  Step 1

  To prepare, wash and dry the fabric to remove any finishes that might prevent dye absorption and cover up your work surface with plastic.
  Note: This technique should work on pretty much any 100% cotton fabric including T-shirt jersey.

  Make a pattern for your heart. I traced my 2½" heart onto a plastic sheet, Then I cut it out as a template which can be reused many times.

  Cut fabric into 5" squares. Trace the heart shape in the center of fabric using a fabric marking pen.

• 

  Step 2

  Using a needle and thread, make a hand running stitch over the traced line, spacing stitches about ¼" apart. Don't knot the tread at the end cause here comes the trick that makes it work.

• 

  Step 3

  Pull the end of the thread to gather the fabric on the stitched line, pushing your finger through the center to puff up the fabric. Tie the ends of the thread into a knot and wrap a small rubber band around the thread. Soak in warm water for a few minutes.

  Grab some rubber gloves and shake up your dye. Measure and mix ½ tsp Rit Fuchsia dye or Rit Petal Pink dye with 4 cups of hot water in a glass bowl. Stir well. Test your dye color with a scrap of fabric to get your desired shade. You can add more water to lighten the color or more dye to darken the color.

  Immerse the wet tie heart in dye bath. Cover with plastic wrap. Line bottom of microwave with paper towels. Place dye in microwave and nuke it on HIGH for 2 minutes.

• 

  Step 4

  Carefully remove from the microwave. Rinse the tied fabric in cool water and remove the rubber band and thread. Continue to rinse fabric until water runs clear. Wash in warm water with mild detergent and rinse. Lie flat to dry, iron the fabric and you're ready to adorn away.

Comments

Leave your comment

Melissa H. 17th December 2011

Does Rit stain the bowl?

Reply

Jet H. · Haarlem, North Holland, NL · 108 projects 21st February 2010

awesome!

Reply

Serpentira · La Cañada Flintridge, California, US · 3 projects 21st February 2010

Neat! I've done tie dye before, but it hadn't occured to me that specific shapes, like that heart, could be achieved by sewing and gathering instead of just scrunching, holding with the elastic, and hoping you got something close to what you wanted. Thanks for sharing!

Reply

CO + K User

February 21st, 2010

Your dye projects are awesome=)

Reply