Dip Dyed Fabric Garland { A Tulip Tie Dye Tutorial }

My first decision was what technique to use.  The above picture shows some of the most popular tie-dying techniques.  I love the ombre look, but I went a little different avenue to get there… dip dying! You should totally check out the I Love to Create site for all of their amazing project ideas and even more techniques. Now to choose what to make!

With the weather getting hot and vacation on the horizon, I knew I wanted to do something coastal using beach-inspired colors.  I decided to make a  flowy fabric garland out of burlap and dip dyed cotton.  I had the perfect gauzy scarf that needed a little color and thought it would be beautiful with varying shades of teal at each end.  If you don’t have a white scarf, any gauzy fabric will do, but make sure it is 100% cotton. 

Here is how I dip dyed the scarf…Supplies: 

Tulip Tie-dye Kit
Tulip Surface Cover
 100% white cotton  scarf or fabric,prewashed

1.  First, I decided how far up the scarf I wanted the color to go and I tightly secured a rubber band at the top.  { mine actually bled a little beyond the rubber band while drying, so just be aware }

2.  Let’s get the area where you will be working all covered up!   I used Tulip’s surface cover and also the gloves that were included in the kit.  Tie-dying is messy, so  I would suggest doing your project close to a sink, with lots of paper towels on hand, and wearing gloves at all times.  I layed the cover over my counter that was next to my kitchen sink.
 

3.  Now you want to mix your fabric dye.  You should follow the directions on the package for the best results. Our kit was comprised of primary colors, so we mixed the blue with a little green and mixed it in a metal bowl until it resembled the teal color.  Then, I used popsicle sticks to test the color. From this, I knew whether I needed more of one color or if I needed to add water to the mixture. You can see the actual sticks in the picture above. 

4.  Now it is time to dip!  Take a deep breath and dip the scarf all the way into the bowl with the die until you get close to the rubber band.  You will then begin pulling the fabric back out a little bit at a time and squeezing the excess liquid dye as you go.  I let the very bottom portion to soak about 5 minutes so it would be much darker than the top. 

Once you have finished with the dye, you will put the colored section in a ziploc baggie and let it dry for 4-6 hours per the included instructions.  After that, you will rinse the dyed portion and let line dry.