Tie-Dyed Tie Blanket

Minimum Time Required: 15-17 hours

Time for Hands-On Requirement: Approx. 2 hours

Supplies

Tie-Dye Kit

Disposable Gloves

Scissors (Heavy Duty or Fabric Scissors)

Large Rubber Bands

Ruler (Optional)

Cling Wrap

Garbage Bag

2 Pieces of Fabric (2 Yards Each—refer to step 1)

Water

Equipment:

Washing machine

Dryer

Step 1: Preparing Your Fabric

Tie-Dying Process (Approx. 25-30 Minutes)

Slightly moisten the pre-washed fabric you are tie-dying by either putting it on quick wash in the washing machine or using a spray bottle.

Make sure the blanket is completely saturated with water, but not drenched.

Align your fabric evenly on a flat surface.

Note:

In this project, we used fleece, which is not a natural fabric. In other words, it will not hold dye well. We wanted to create a pastel blanket so in these instructions, we chose to stick with this material.

If you want your colors more bright and vivid, using a natural fabric (Such as cotton) will give you the effect you want.

Step 2: Twisting the Fabric

Pinch the middle of your blanket and continue to twist in the same direction so that the fabric starts to create a circle.

Make sure the fabric does not bunch up on the inner folds.

Note:

There are many ways to tie-dye fabric, but for demonstration purposes we decided to do the twist method for tie-dying. It is the most fun in our opinion, but also the easiest to understand. Additional research is required if you would like to try another method of tie-dying.

Step 3: Sectioning Off the Fabric

Continue twisting the fabric until it is in one complete circle.

Wrap rubber bands around the fabric, creating sections. We recommend having six to eight sections using three or four rubber bands that intersect in the center of your fabric.

Lastly, place a garbage bag (or another form of barrier) underneath the fabric to prevent dye from getting on any other surfaces.

Note:

Typically tie-dye kits come with rubber bands. Unfortunately, they only work with smaller projects, such as a shirt. For Creating a blanket, you must purchase larger rubber bands to do this project efficiently.

Having a partner help with this step can ensure the blanket stays together.

Step 4: The Gloves

Before the dying process, be sure to place gloves on to prevent the dye from staining your hands. Most tie-dye kits include these in the package.

Step 5: Mixing the Dye

Prepare your dyes following the individual instructions of the kit. We recommend the brand, Tulip.

Within their kit, they required us to fill each bottle with warm water to the top ridge.

Shake the bottle thoroughly until the powder dye is mixed completely into the water.

Note:

Make sure the lid is on tight and your pointer finger holds the cap on while shaking the mixture. You wouldn’t want the dye to splatter onto things you do not want it on.

Step 6: The Dying Process

Squirt the dye from the bottles evenly onto the desired sections of the blanket: Starting at the center and making your way out. We also dyed the same color across from one another.

Researching which colors go well together is recommended. Keeping complimentary colors (such as orange and blue, or purple and yellow) from touching adjacently will prevent brown colors from forming.

Note:

If you are dying the same color across each section, make sure you apply the dye evenly on both sides. This ensures that you have enough for each section.

Step 7: Saturation

Continue to dye the blanket until each section is completely saturated. Don’t be afraid to use the whole bottle.

Note:

It is okay if the dye bleeds from one section into another. The rubber bands just give you an idea where to place each color of dye while also keeping the blanket from un-raveling.

Step 8: Wrapping the Blanket

Wrap the entire blanket with cling wrap. This allows the blanket to continuously soak in the dye without getting dry. Let the fabric soak in the dye overnight, or for about 12-14 hours.

Step 9: Washing

After waiting several hours, put on gloves again and rise the fabric in the sink to remove any excess dye that wasn’t soaked in.

Put the fabric in a standard washing machine with no soap to remove any excess dye remaining.

Put the blanket in the dryer on a regular cycle on high temperature.

Note:

Just to be safe, we always run the washing machine empty after tie-dying. We would not want you to accidently stain a load of laundry.

Step 10: Laying the Fabric Down

Putting the Blanket Together (Approx. 45-60 Minutes)

In order to complete the tie blanket, you must place the bottom (or un-dyed) piece of fabric flat on the floor. Place the top piece (the fabric you tie-dyed) right over the bottom piece so that they are matching corners.
Once you have both desired pieces, make sure they are both flat and have no creases in the fabric.

Step 11: Trimming

Depending on where you get your fabric, or who cuts it at the store, the two pieces of fabric may not line up perfectly.

To fix this, take a scissor and trim any excess fabric off, using the other piece of fabric as a reference.

Note:

A heavy-duty pair of scissors is best to have, as it will improve the ease of cutting.

Step 12: The Corners

Cut a 2.5 X 2.5-inch square out of one corner of the fabric stack.

You may choose to use a ruler, but it is okay to eyeball it.

Step 13: The Corners Cont.

Take the original 2.5 X 2.5-inch square as a guide and repeat step twelve on the other three corners. This ensures that the length is the same on all sides of the blankets

Step 14: Making the Incisions

Begin cutting half to one-inch thick strands along one side of the fabric. Make the strands the same depth as the squares you cut out in steps three and four (2.5 inches or so).

Note:

The thinner the strands are cut, the more time consuming it will be because you will have more to cut.

Step 15: Making the Incisions Cont.

Continue step five along the three other sides of the fabric.

Step 16: Tying the Blanket Together

Tie the corresponding pieces of fabric along all sides of the blanket. We recommend double knotting to ensure the longevity of each knot.

Note:

There are other ways to tie the fabric together, but this is our preferred way. If interested in another not, look up the “Pull Through Method” or “The Braided Method”, which are two other popular ways to tie.

Step 17: The Final Product

After you have finished step seven, your blanket is finalized, and you can begin to enjoy its comfort.