Does anyone here do tie-dye or fiber arts with their kids?

[helena]

Could you help me out? :001_smile:

 

Every year we do a beginner kit like this: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0000205WQ/?tag=hyprod-20&hvadid=15469262859&hvpos=1o1&hvexid=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=1598388376316205922&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&ref=asc_df_B0000205WQ.

 

This year we'd like to try something a little (teeny) bit harder. What is the next step for us? Our charter school will pay for supplies from Dharma Trading Co http://www.dharmatrading.com/tie-dye/beginners.html, so that makes material fees easy. We don't mind investing in supplies. We just don't want to get in over our heads with a lengthy, difficult project.

 

:lurk5:

Edited July 27, 2012 by helena

[In The Great White North]

Try dyeing some yarn with dandelions.

 

http://beyondlifeexpectancy1.blogspot.com/2006/05/dandelion-dye.html

 

Lot's of fun and everyone can help collect the dandelions.

[helena]

Try dyeing some yarn with dandelions.

 

http://beyondlifeexpectancy1.blogspot.com/2006/05/dandelion-dye.html

 

Lot's of fun and everyone can help collect the dandelions.

 

Thanks, that's a great idea! I put a few books on hold at the library on using natural dye to color yarn.

[lakshmi]

I've tie dyed with my 6yo eons ago. Our focus in fabric arts has been machine and hand sewing, and this year we're starting cross stitch.

[helena]

I've tie dyed with my 6yo eons ago. Our focus in fabric arts has been machine and hand sewing, and this year we're starting cross stitch.

 

This is basically where we are too. I've scheduled this stitching book: http://www.amazon.com/Doodle-Stitching-Fresh-Embroidery-Beginners/dp/1600590616 and created a list of youtube tutorials to along with each stitch taught.

 

I hope it goes as planned! :D

[Erica in OR]

There's a neat project that marbles fabric with shaving cream and Dharma dyes. I haven't tried that one on fabric, but have used the technique many, many times with food coloring and shaving cream to marble paper.

http://www.dharmatrading.com/html/eng/1498922-aa.shtml

 

If you want to venture into natural dyes or just see what someone else has done with them, two neat sites are: http://www.pioneerthinking.com/naturaldyes.html

and

http://www.vickilicious.com/knit/2008/05/natural-dyeing.html

 

For regular tie-dyeing, maybe the next step is expanding your color palette with dyes that strike your fancy at Dharma and trying harder folds than you've done thus far. There are some decent directions at

http://tie-dyewiki.com/wikinew/index.php?title=Folds

 

If you want to turn it into a service learning project, our chemistry club took white baby onesies, tie dyed them, and then donated the finished products to a local pregnancy resource center.

 

Erica in OR

[Carol in Cal.]

Do your kids know how to knit? Magic Cabin has an awesome starter knitting kit.

[Closeacademy]

I dye once in a while.

 

Tye dyeing t-shirts is a lot of fun and they now have the dye so it is in little squirt bottles so the kids can control where the dye goes and how much goes on. There is not quite as much mess with this as there used to be. It is also a lot of fun.

 

If you have access to natural fibers (wool, alpaca, etc.) and easter egg dye. Then dyeing yarn can be fun too. You will need to soak your yarn for about an hour in cold water. Then you dissolve the egg dye in water in different containers. You could even use little squirt bottles for this, you know the kind that dribbles out not the gun kind.

 

You put the yarn in a container and then you can spray the dye where you want it to go. There are lots of great tutorials online.

 

Good luck and I hope you have lots of fun.:001_smile:

[Alessandra]

We have done weaving and particularly enjoyed this book:

 

http://www.amazon.com/You-Can-Weave-Projects-Weavers/dp/0871924935/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1343475046&sr=8-1&keywords=you+can+weave

 

We have done knitting too and like this book because it has illustrations of boys as well as girls:

 

http://www.amazon.com/Kids-Knitting-Projects-all-Ages/dp/1579652417/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1343475159&sr=1-1&keywords=melanie+knitting

 

There is a wonderful collection of decorative knots on you tube -- look for 'decorative knots TIAT' -- and a book (on my list, haven't got it yet)

 

http://www.amazon.com/Decorative-Fusion-Knots-Step---Step/dp/1931160783/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1343475264&sr=1-1&keywords=knots+ornamental

 

And have you thought of any of the fabric printing supplies from a place like Dick Blick? Or basketry? (Boy Scout MB book is good.) Or macrame? Or Waldorf materials? Here are some videos from Dick Blick:

 

http://www.dickblick.com/categories/fabricdecoration/#watchrelatedvideos

[Cinder]

Maybe painting on silk? My dd enjoyed dyeing silk squares (the playsilk size) with koolaid--there's another option if your dc would use playsilks.

[plath]

You could try a bit of "extra materials" with your tie dye. We just did a tie dye party with 3-6 year olds and someone brought marbles to tie in the shirts ~ they turned out great! I've also read about wrapping them with sticks to get a cool look.

What about glue batik? http://www.thatartistwoman.org/2008/07/kid-friendly-batik.html

 

I used regular dyes after batik'ing with the glue with no problems.

Edited July 28, 2012 by plath

[helena]

Thanks ladies! I'm going through your recommendations. :001_smile:

[pfamilygal]

We do a set of tie dyed shirts every year so we can match for field trips/pfamily outings.

 

We're going to try dip dying (ombre) this year. Like this: http://cottonandcurls.blogspot.com/2011/05/ombre-shirt-and-first-guess-post.html

[helena]

There's a neat project that marbles fabric with shaving cream and Dharma dyes. I haven't tried that one on fabric, but have used the technique many, many times with food coloring and shaving cream to marble paper.

http://www.dharmatrading.com/html/eng/1498922-aa.shtml

 

If you want to venture into natural dyes or just see what someone else has done with them, two neat sites are: http://www.pioneerthinking.com/naturaldyes.html

and

http://www.vickilicious.com/knit/2008/05/natural-dyeing.html

 

For regular tie-dyeing, maybe the next step is expanding your color palette with dyes that strike your fancy at Dharma and trying harder folds than you've done thus far. There are some decent directions at

http://tie-dyewiki.com/wikinew/index.php?title=Folds

 

If you want to turn it into a service learning project, our chemistry club took white baby onesies, tie dyed them, and then donated the finished products to a local pregnancy resource center.

Erica in OR

 

To the bolded:

This is exactly what we'll do. You just made it so much more exciting. :001_smile:

 

I'm thinking we have to try making natural dye and coloring yarn. Maybe yarn and onesies.

[AdventureMoms]

You can also use food coloring to dye wool yarns. Or silk. That's a fun project. It's not too hard, I've done it with my 4yo, but you have to use heat to set it, so it's trickier than tie dye.

[helena]

Do your kids know how to knit? Magic Cabin has an awesome starter knitting kit.

 

They used to knit a little, but now they just finger knit. I'd like to take a class with them this fall and re-learn together.

 

I've never been to Magic Cabin's website. I love their stuff! I already see a few gifts for an upcoming holiday. Thanks :001_smile:

[helena]

I dye once in a while.

 

Tye dyeing t-shirts is a lot of fun and they now have the dye so it is in little squirt bottles so the kids can control where the dye goes and how much goes on. There is not quite as much mess with this as there used to be. It is also a lot of fun.

 

If you have access to natural fibers (wool, alpaca, etc.) and easter egg dye. Then dyeing yarn can be fun too. You will need to soak your yarn for about an hour in cold water. Then you dissolve the egg dye in water in different containers. You could even use little squirt bottles for this, you know the kind that dribbles out not the gun kind.

 

You put the yarn in a container and then you can spray the dye where you want it to go. There are lots of great tutorials online.

 

Good luck and I hope you have lots of fun.:001_smile:

 

I found a great tutorial for using the Easter egg dye: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xPOnZ4zyq8s. We'll give this a try for sure.

[helena]

We have done weaving and particularly enjoyed this book:

 

http://www.amazon.com/You-Can-Weave-Projects-Weavers/dp/0871924935/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1343475046&sr=8-1&keywords=you+can+weave

 

We have done knitting too and like this book because it has illustrations of boys as well as girls:

 

http://www.amazon.com/Kids-Knitting-Projects-all-Ages/dp/1579652417/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1343475159&sr=1-1&keywords=melanie+knitting

 

There is a wonderful collection of decorative knots on you tube -- look for 'decorative knots TIAT' -- and a book (on my list, haven't got it yet)

 

http://www.amazon.com/Decorative-Fusion-Knots-Step---Step/dp/1931160783/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1343475264&sr=1-1&keywords=knots+ornamental

 

And have you thought of any of the fabric printing supplies from a place like Dick Blick? Or basketry? (Boy Scout MB book is good.) Or macrame? Or Waldorf materials? Here are some videos from Dick Blick:

 

http://www.dickblick.com/categories/fabricdecoration/#watchrelatedvideos

 

They've asked for a weaving kit before, maybe it's time to buy one. I put the first book you recommended on hold at our library. :001_smile:

[justasque]

Another fun project is dyeing around the color wheel. The idea is that you mix up one or two or three primary colors, then make a series of variations/gradations. For example, you might go around the color wheel in 12 colors, by mixing the three primaries in different proportions. Or, you might do gradations of, say, blue, by mixing different strengths. Or, take a basic fuschia and mix in differing amounts of black. You can do each color in a plastic cup or baggie.

 

The proportions are a bit complex, as some colors are stronger than others, so I would suggest a book to get you started. Dyeing To Quilt is the book I use, and it's very, very good.

 

What to do with your results? Many folks dye basic fabric and then make a quilt. Others might dye hanks of yarn and make something that showcases the color story. We used pre-hemmed white Dharma handkerchiefs (cheaper) or bandannas (larger) and dyed them; now we use them for cloth napkins. Such lovely colors and we get to use them every day.

[helena]

Maybe painting on silk? My dd enjoyed dyeing silk squares (the playsilk size) with koolaid--there's another option if your dc would use playsilks.

 

I feel like we're working up to painting on silk (aka avoiding it)... maybe when they're able to take more charge of the project. :tongue_smilie:

 

I'm going to ask them in the morning if they'd like to dye play silk. I know I've seen undyed silk with finished edges (probably at Dharma). I bet it would work with the Easter egg dye! Hmm... looking around, and seeing folks do it with Kool Aid. My kids have never used Easter egg dye and we don't drink Kool Aid, that alone would make it a real treat. :001_smile:

[helena]

You could try a bit of "extra materials" with your tie dye. We just did a tie dye party with 3-6 year olds and someone brought marbles to tie in the shirts ~ they turned out great! I've also read about wrapping them with sticks to get a cool look.

What about glue batik? http://www.thatartistwoman.org/2008/07/kid-friendly-batik.html

 

I used regular dyes after batik'ing with the glue with no problems.

 

So cool! I'm thinking we'll do this in the next couple days. So easy!

[helena]

How about felting?

 

http://www.gfwsheep.com/feltballs/feltballs1.html

 

Ooo yeah! I've scheduled a few felting projects for our artsy Friday. I'm trying to keep moving forward on working with wool. I love the way it looks.

 

Check out this one: http://kokoonart.wordpress.com/2010/11/03/water-color-felting/ Very inspiring!

[helena]

We do a set of tie dyed shirts every year so we can match for field trips/pfamily outings.

 

We're going to try dip dying (ombre) this year. Like this: http://cottonandcurls.blogspot.com/2011/05/ombre-shirt-and-first-guess-post.html

 

We tie dye and wear our shirts to Disneyland on homeschool day (at the organizers suggestion). Every year it seems like we're the only ones in it! :lol:

 

The dip dye is cool!

[helena]

You can also use food coloring to dye wool yarns. Or silk. That's a fun project. It's not too hard, I've done it with my 4yo, but you have to use heat to set it, so it's trickier than tie dye.

 

We're going to dye the yarn for sure, but as I'm watching the tutorials I'm a little worried about the yarn getting all tangled up. Is there a trick to that?

 

I think this is a good year to take to the stove. The kids are cooking a bit now, it might make them feel like they've advanced in skill a bit. :001_smile:

[helena]

Another fun project is dyeing around the color wheel. The idea is that you mix up one or two or three primary colors, then make a series of variations/gradations. For example, you might go around the color wheel in 12 colors, by mixing the three primaries in different proportions. Or, you might do gradations of, say, blue, by mixing different strengths. Or, take a basic fuschia and mix in differing amounts of black. You can do each color in a plastic cup or baggie.

 

The proportions are a bit complex, as some colors are stronger than others, so I would suggest a book to get you started. Dyeing To Quilt is the book I use, and it's very, very good.

 

What to do with your results? Many folks dye basic fabric and then make a quilt. Others might dye hanks of yarn and make something that showcases the color story. We used pre-hemmed white Dharma handkerchiefs (cheaper) or bandannas (larger) and dyed them; now we use them for cloth napkins. Such lovely colors and we get to use them every day.

 

Thanks! I just put the book on hold at the library. Great idea about making napkins. And thanks for the tip, the bandanas are much more affordable than the linen napkins.

[AdventureMoms]

We're going to dye the yarn for sure, but as I'm watching the tutorials I'm a little worried about the yarn getting all tangled up. Is there a trick to that?

 

I think this is a good year to take to the stove. The kids are cooking a bit now, it might make them feel like they've advanced in skill a bit. :001_smile:

 

Usually the yarn comes in a skein so you can just untwist it and have a big hank of yarn in a neat loop. Make sure there's another piece of yarn (acrylic works well for this because it won't take the dye) tied around the hank in several places to keep everything neat. If you tie tightly it will leave a white spot in the yarn (ala tie-dye!) or if you tie a little looser the dye can get underneath.

 

You can unwind and rewind the hank to make the hank longer or shorter. A longer hank will make longer runs of each color. But make sure you retie some yarn around it to keep it all together! The longer the hank is the more likely it is to tangle, IME.

[Cinder]

I'm going to ask them in the morning if they'd like to dye play silk. I know I've seen undyed silk with finished edges (probably at Dharma). I bet it would work with the Easter egg dye! Hmm... looking around, and seeing folks do it with Kool Aid. My kids have never used Easter egg dye and we don't drink Kool Aid, that alone would make it a real treat. :001_smile:

 

We got our silks from Dharma and used koolaid to dye them.

 

Here is some info on koolaid dyeing with wool. And here. And here is a longer article that shows how to make a hank and dye in a crockpot. And to add even more fun, make koolaid (no sugar) ice cubes and use those to dye the yarn--blog post here. This is fun if it's really hot and sunny and you can set it out on your deck or something.

[Cinder]

I mentioned koolaid ice cube dyeing and just wanted to add my pics but I posted too soon and couldn't figure out how to add pics in edit mode. So here you go! First the dyeing, then the final yarn after it dried, then I made socks for me and pedi-socks for dd.

[helena]

Usually the yarn comes in a skein so you can just untwist it and have a big hank of yarn in a neat loop. Make sure there's another piece of yarn (acrylic works well for this because it won't take the dye) tied around the hank in several places to keep everything neat. If you tie tightly it will leave a white spot in the yarn (ala tie-dye!) or if you tie a little looser the dye can get underneath.

 

You can unwind and rewind the hank to make the hank longer or shorter. A longer hank will make longer runs of each color. But make sure you retie some yarn around it to keep it all together! The longer the hank is the more likely it is to tangle, IME.

 

Thanks for walking me through it! :001_smile:

[helena]

I mentioned koolaid ice cube dyeing and just wanted to add my pics but I posted too soon and couldn't figure out how to add pics in edit mode. So here you go! First the dyeing, then the final yarn after it dried, then I made socks for me and pedi-socks for dd.

 

Great photos!!

Maybe we should start with Easter egg dye and Kool Aid. Making natural dye could come later. I'm trying really hard to keep it simple this next year. :001_smile:

[Alessandra]

They've asked for a weaving kit before, maybe it's time to buy one. I put the first book you recommended on hold at our library. :001_smile:

 

The book doesn't mention those very simple potholder weaving kits. My ds loved those. Klutz has a good kit with some exceptionally cool patterns.

[Chocolate Lover]

A cool demonstration you could take the kids to would be your state fair. There should be a series of demonstrations that show wool comes from sheep and this is how they are shorn, preparing the wool by carding or combing, the dye pot for natural dying, weaving, knitting, crocheting. I think the state fair is incredibly educational; we don't go on the rides. Also, at the rabbit show you may be able to find some Angora rabbit owners grooming and/or spinning right from the bunny! Kids always love to see that.

[mumto2]

Flower pounding (sorry I can't link but there is a lot of info if you google) is tons of fun. Even my son enjoyed it. We used fabric that had been treated with the baking soda/alum combination. They had a fascinating time with the various colors created by the different flowers and leaves. Dd turned hers into a embroidery project and won a local art contest.

[helena]

Two more great ideas, thank you! :001_smile:

 

Here's a youtube video of a woman pounding plants onto a table runner:

 

This would be fun to do as part of a year long nature studies. All school year we could add to the runner with plants from nature walks, the garden and store bought bouquets. How fun!

 

I decided to keep it simple this year and do yarn dying with kool-aid. We have many years to continue this interest, making plant dye is definitely in the future (and lots more fiber art). I feel like I'm starting to see the big picture of where we're going with this (though high school). We'll do a few other things (not on the art schedule) through the year, but without the pressure of it being school related.

 

I'd love to hear more ideas! :bigear:

[Dobela]

You can tie dye cotton yarns as well using kits made for shirts. Here is a neat tutorial on how to do it. Once you are finished you could crochet or knit up the yarn. Or even use it in other crafts.

[Sahamamama]

Try dyeing some yarn with dandelions.

 

http://beyondlifeexpectancy1.blogspot.com/2006/05/dandelion-dye.html

 

Lot's of fun and everyone can help collect the dandelions.

 

Onion skins? I remember dyeing wool with onion skins for American Colonial History in elementary school. I never forgot that! We are collecting onion skins for this project this year.

 

 

http://waysofthewhorl.wordpress.com/2011/04/06/natural-dyeing-take-2-onion-skins/