Every summer we take a trip back to the East Coast to spend some time with my family.  We are always looking for fun party ideas for when the whole group of us get together.  My parents live at the lake, so activities that you can do outdoors are always a priority.

Therefore when Tulip asked if I would be interested in hosing a Tie-Dye party so we could , I jumped at the chance.  (Who wouldn’t want to Tie Dye Your Summer?)

Tulip sent me their Super Big One-Step Tie-Dye kit and some white cotton t-shirts.  Along with some water, those are ALL the supplies you need for this activity.  The kits are all inclusive. 

Tulips kits even include the table cover, gloves, rubber bands, dye and application containers.  (We also used a cookie drying rack to help prevent the dye from puddling up under the shirts, but that is optional.)
Instructions in the packaging explain how to achieve the different patterns you often see on tie dyed shirts.  Our favorite was the spiral, which is created by twisting the shirt like this:

You secure the twist with rubber bands and then apply different colors of dye to each section (unlike dip dyeing, the tulip applicators are way less messy and easier to apply to specific sections of the cloth):

Tie dyeing was great for everyone in the family.. Grandma, grandpa, mom, dad and all the kids could get in on the creations.

Once the dye was applied we stuck the shirts in zip-top bags and allowed them to soak overnight. The longer they sit, the richer the color.

The next day we rinsed them and ran them through the washing machine.


Finally we line dried them (you could also use the dryer, but we loved seeing them on display, blowing in the breeze.)