Tie Dye project

Art classrooms are like a store for other teachers who are looking for markers, glitter, or paint. They are also like room-shaped garbage cans for teachers who are looking to get rid of old boxes, newspaper, and plastic bottles. Teachers in general, hate waste and so we'll figure out something to do with whatever we get gifted. In this case, I hit the jackpot because my daughter's chemistry teacher sent her home with a bunch of fabric dye that only lasts a few days before it has to be thrown away. Since my students were in the middle of a unit on textile arts, the timing couldn't have been better.

First, my own children practiced at home, on t-shirts, bandanas, socks, and masks. The results were great! Then I took the box to school and let students play around with white fabric. Folding, tying, twisting, and then squirting colors.

The technique that seemed to work the best, was the old-twist from the center, and use stripes of dye for a spiral effect. When we didn't have enough rubber bands, we used string to tie it in place overnight in a plastic bag. The project doesn't take very long and the pay offs can be pretty great, especially when are gifted a bunch of free dye.