Rainbow Tees

Add some color to your next birthday bash with these rainbow tees. Hi everybody I'm Forbes Riley, and I'm Dylan, and we're here at the craft table with Family Fun. I have to tell you these fun to make shirts, they are to dye for.

For the dye station, you'll need a plastic table cloth, or garbage bags and tape, a large bowl of soapy water, paper towels, 100% cotton T shirts, some rubber bands, and buckets or dish tubs, four quart minimum. To dye the t-shirts you'll need two or more colors of fabric dye, soda ash, plastic squeeze bottles, sealable plastic bags, and pair of latex gloves. Set up a dying station with a disposable plastic table cloth, or a few garbage bags, and tape your cover in place. Also, have a trash can and some paper towels nearby, as well as a large bowl of soapy water for the kids to rinse their hands. Today we're demonstrating the knotted tie technique, but for more ideas make sure you visit familyfun.com. If you soak the shirts in water first they'll be much easier for the kids to work with. First, grab a small section of the shirt, both front and back layers, and twist it as tightly as possible. Fold the tip of the twist over and fasten it snuggly with a rubber band. Next, dissolve the soda ash in a tub of water and soak your tied shirt for twenty minutes. This will make your colors longer lasting and brighter. Fill the bottles with the individually prepared dye baths, following manufacturer's directions, and squeeze drops onto your shirt. Now be sure to squeeze one color on and around each of the tied sections. After each shirt has been dyed, place it in a sealable plastic bag. Leave the t-shirt in a plastic bag overnight and then remove the rubber bands and hang the shirt out to dry for another day. Then it's time to rinse the shirt. Start with warm water and then cool until the water runs clear. Now this is permanent dye, so be careful not to get any of it on your clothes. To avoid shrinking your shirt make sure you machine wash it in cold water by itself. Also, it's a good idea to run your washer with some warm water and soap just to make sure there's no dye left it in it. Hang up the shirt to dry or dry it in the dryer on the coolest setting. Now after your child has worn the shirt, make sure you wash and dry it just one more time in case all the dye hasn't been rinsed out. These t-shirts make a great party activity, take home favor, and brilliant fashion statement all in one.