The Pretty Life Girls: PLA DIY: Tie-Dyed T-Shirt Headbands

So listen. I can't say that I exactly squeal with glee when I think about tie-dye. You see, I have sort of felt like it was reserved for hippie types who were past their prime. However, when we were asked to participate in Tulip's Tie-Dye Your Summer campaign, I decided to have an open mind and try it out, and I am so glad I did! By taking some white t-shirts that were taking up space in my closet and giving them a little tie-dye makeover I was able to whip up a handful of fun and summery headbands and the result is adorbs. I mean, if a hippie was wearing these headbands, I'd like to think it was a way cool stylish hippie.

Here's what I did:

What you need:
-Tulip's One-Step Tie-Dye Kit. (This kit is amaze because it includes everything you need for a tie-dye project: Rubber bands, gloves, plastic wrap, and tie-dye supplies)
-Cotton t-shirt (I used white but you could use any light colored shirt you have laying around)
-Sewing machine for putting the headbands together

One of the funnest parts about using tie-dye is the different patterns you can make depending on how you fold and bundle your fabric (see an example here.) I love the surprise of seeing how they turn out after the colors have set! Once you have chosen your pattern, fold and bundle accordingly, apply tie-dye according to package directions, and wrap in plastic wrap to keep moist. Since I used the Tulip kit this was a piece of cake. All you do is fill the squeeze bottle with water and squeeze it on the fabric, so basically, if you can use a sink you can be a tie-dye artist. I plan to add that title to my resume after I hit publish on this post. Skillz.

Next you let set. For the most vibrant colors allow to set for 6-8 hours. If you want to produce more pastel colors only let set for 30 minutes or so. Once the dye is set to your desired intensity, unwrap, remove rubber bands, rinse off the remaining dye, and toss t-shirt(s) alone in a hot washer with minimal soap. Dry normally and you're done!

If you can braid, you can make this headband! Cut your fabric into nine 1/2-inch strips, long enough to wrap around your head. Create three braids. Connect the ends of each braid individually by own running them through your sewing machine. Once each braid is connect separately, line up each braid and run through the sewing machine again, attaching them to each other. You're done!