Tie-Dye Fun With The Kids

We were given the chance to review Oriental Trading’s Tulip® Super Big Tie-Dye Kit. I had been eager to do this with my grandkids. This tie-dye kit comes complete with 12 bright colors, the dyes, 8 squeeze bottles, latex-free gloves, rubber bands, and surface protector and a project guide. I attempted to do a project with the kids, but that ended up becoming futile. They had a lot of fun though, and to me that’s what matters most.

The Steps to the Perfect Tie-Dye Creation

  1. Take whatever product you’re tie-dying and twist it up and add rubber bands. The more rubber bands the more room for design.
  2. Put plastic down all over the table and floor in your work area.
  3. Put on gloves BEFORE you mess with any dye.
  4. Add water to the bottles with the dye already in them.
  5. Shake until the colors are really dark. The darker the colors the better the results.
  6. Add your die to your product according the to project directions that you choose to do.
  7. Let dye dry for at least 24 hours.
  8. Then rinse product off until the water runs clear over the entire product.
  9. Wash in cold water.
  10. Enjoy your finished results.

Our Project

Crystal wanted to try and salvage a green dress. I knew it wouldn’t really turn out to well with the tie-dye kit, but I had figured if we used dark enough colors it may be able to turn into a pretty dress. At least that was the intention.

I’m an easy going type of Granny who loves to see what the kids come up with while they are doing their crafts. They were just having fun just being able to squirt dye all over the dress as they saw fit. Delbert loves yellow and Jimmy loves green, and since the dress is green those colors didn’t show up. Zeva and Crystal were the only ones using dark colors, but they were trying to be considerate of the boy’s space so there are MAJOR gaps where there their colors were used. It is no longer wearable, but the kids have a memory they will always hang onto.

About This Tie-Dyed Kit

First this craft kit did not come with enough gloves for several people to do it. Plus I didn’t feel there was enough plastic included to protect my table, but I already own a huge roll of plastic so it worked out. I do feel that the yellow and green colors were very weak, but that could have been user error.

I’m not one to push the kids to do my bidding when it comes to their crafts. I love to see what they come up with. If Crystal had chosen a white or light colored dress their creation would have been beautiful I’m sure. Crystal was determined to fix this green dress.

I think overall this kit was a good tie-dye kit to invest in. I know we had fun using it. It does have all the materials needed to make a basic design. If we had used a white shirt or a different color product as our base we would have had a product well worth sharing! Either way, we had fun and were grateful to be able to use it. Plus it is a memory we will never forget.

Have you done a tie-dyed creation?

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Dale

Hi, I'm Dale. Some of the things I like to do are box, lift weights, and spend time with my beautiful wife Crystal. I also enjoy watching shows on Netflix or playing video games with my son when I can find some free time.

30 comments on “Tie-Dye Fun With The Kids”

    • It was really fun. They enjoyed it and I enjoyed watching them have a good time doing it. We’re working on quilt blocking or some other quilt related craft next. I hope you’ll come check it out.

    • You really should make time to do this. I know how it is to be a Mommy who must work, but remember we’re only given so many days to live. You must take time to make them remembered. (Not to say that you’re not doing that, but there are far to many parents who aren’t do it that I felt I had to put it out there.)

  1. Awesome activity! I have a toddler and thinking of fun things to do can be so difficult at times since his attention span is that of a peanut lol. This looks like fun and I will definitely add it to my activities list!

    Reply
    • I know what you mean about attention spans, my grand kids do not have very high attention spans either. You have to have patience of a saint to deal with them. I will be trying to give craft ideas for all ages.

  2. I use to always love tie-dying my clothes in high school. Now, I think I want to start doing it again as I almost forgot how fun that was.

    Reply
    • I love to do crafts with my grand kids. I have a few crafts ready to share with you all in the coming weeks. I hope you’ll come back to check them out. Maybe they will help you to think of other crafts you can do with your own kids.

    • Your son isn’t the only one who would have fun with this kit. I feel you’d enjoy it too. Just be careful with the various dyes.

  3. My youngest son loves experimenting with color, so I think he would enjoy this project. I haven’t tried to tie-dye in years. This kit seems to make it easier.

    Reply
    • This kit does help out a lot. I think as adults we tend to forget how colorful the world is as a whole until we are forced to look at it through the eyes of our children.

  4. We did tie dye tshirts this summer for a birthday party. We only did 2 at a time because of the gloves and I had to help with the rubberbands, etc. They turned out okay but not terrific. My kit only had 4 colors though.

    Reply
    • Oriental Trading is where we got this set that had a bunch of colors in it. I felt this set had plenty of colors. You can also check out JoAnn’s for their sets and watch for their coupons.

  5. I literally tie-dyed yesterday, and I’ve got the blue hands to prove it. My kids wore the gloves, but there weren’t enough pairs for me also. So I look like a smurf! We had a blast though!

    Reply
    • I’ve been there and done that. I waited for days for the ink to come off. Of course, the stories I told others about my hands made it worth it. Be careful though.

  6. Next time you tie-dye, shop at dharmatrading.com! I don’t work for them or anything, I’ve just ordered from them many times over the past decade, and they are wonderful. They sell all kinds of dyes, fabric paints, and white clothing of every kind, very reasonably priced. Their site has detailed instructions for how to get the best results from tie-dyeing, and at their toll-free number you can get personal advice on how much of each supply you’ll need for your project. My family has done several bouts of tie-dye, with great results. We’ve also bought some clothes from them just to get white clothes, good quality, good price. Oh, and they have excellent dish towels.

    I’ve also done tie-dye with Rit dye that’s sold in many supermarkets. It is okay for an amateur project but best for things you aren’t going to wash really frequently, like tote bags, because it fades with each washing. It’s crucial to do all the tying BEFORE you mix the dye because it works better when hot. Instead of squirting, mix the dye in a bucket and soak the tightly tied items–maybe one end in one color and the other end in another.

    Reply
  7. Hello cute lady! This looks so cool. Pinned. We couldn’t think of anyone better to party with. We hope to see you tomorrow at 7 pm.
    Happy Sunday! Lou Lou Girls

    Reply

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