Now that the weather is warming up, I’m dying to redecorate my deck and patio in bold, fun colors. One of the easiest ways to infuse color into your outdoor decor is to craft up some pillows for your patio furniture. With Tulip tie dye, America’s Favorite Tie Dye, you can Tie Dye Your Summer in a flash just by adding water for bold, beautiful color! Here’s how:

You Need:

white cotton fabric  /  scissors  /  pins  /  matching thread  /  sewing machine  /  Tulip One-Step Tie Dye Kit (I used Fuchsia)  /  large letter printed out (I sized mine large to print out on 2 sheets, then taped them together)  /  marking chalk  /  black permanent marker  /  fiberfill (or pillow insert if you want to use a zipper) /  hand-sewing needle  /  plastic for your surface (not pictured)  /  plastic wrap (not pictured)   /  paintbrush (not pictured)  /  bowl for water (not pictured)  /  black fabric paint and small brush (optional, not pictured)

How To:

1. Prewash your fabric to prevent shrinkage.

2. Cut out 2 pieces of white fabric for your pillow. Mine were 21″ square each.

3. Lay the wet pieces of fabric onto the plastic on a flat surface. I stacked all 4 pieces of fabric for ease of dyeing.

4. Mix the tie dye according to the instructions, and spread a generous amount at one edge of the fabric.

5. Use the paintbrush to drag the dye further up the fabric.

6. Dip the paintbrush in water and spread on the edge of the dye to smooth the transition to white.

7. You may have to flip over your stack to make sure the bottom piece took the dye. In my case, mine didn’t, so I had to repeat adding dye to the bottom edge and using the paintbrush to spread it further up the piece.

8. Place plastic wrap on your creation to keep it wet, and allow it to sit for 6-8 hours.

9. Once done, wash excess dye off.

10. Fill washer to largest load setting and wash in hottest water suitable for fabric with a small amount of detergent. Dry in the dryer to set the dye.

11. Lay one piece of fabric over the printed page of typography.

12. Trace the shape of the letter with marking chalk.

13. Use a black marker to go over the lines. I chose to make my lines thick so the typography would be outlines only, but you can fill in the lines with the marker if it is a thin letter – or if you have a lot of area to fill, you may want to use black fabric paint instead.

14. Sew pillowcase front to back at the edges, right sides together, leaving about 2″ or so unsewn.

15. Turn right-side-out and stuff with fiberfill.

16. Use a hand sewing needle to sew the opening shut.
   And that’s it! Check out those bright and bold colors – and how they POP against any greenery in the garden!

The great thing about tie dye is that you can create any pattern or design you so desire – and this is a super project to do in a group or at a party, or with the whole family! (Break out those T-shirts!! 😉

Save

Tags: