Sunshine State Tea Towels

Tie dye craft ideas are great for any time of year. Whether you live in Florida or just wish you did, consider creating some bright Sunshine State Tea Towels. Use standard tie dye techniques to complete this project and be sure to display them all year. Be sure to incorporate an ombre look into your tea towels - it's super trendy but never goes out of style. Best of all, this project is super inexpensive and a great alternative to spending a lot at a home decor shop.


 

Materials:

• Three white flour sack style cotton towels
• Package of dye (available in your local craft, fabric, or hardware store)
• Large pot of water and either salt or vinegar to set the dye

Instructions:

1. This brand of dye had instructions for use in the washer or on the stovetop.
    
2. If you dampen your towels before you begin, the dye won’t seep upwards when you dip in the ends.  Dampen just slightly to create a tiny bit of seeping upwards for an ombré effect.  Follow the package directions for mixing the dye.  Be sure to cover parts of your work surface that might stain, and wear an apron and rubber gloves!  This particular dye called for the packet to be dissolved in simmering water, add the fabric then pour in salt (to set the colour).
   
   
3. Fold the towels into fourths lengthwise, then fold them in half so that only the ends of the towels could be dipped into the dye and the middle left white.  This pot was maybe a bit small for all three towels at once but they worked out fine in the end.  If you have a bigger pot available you should definitely use it.
   
   
4. The full effect of the dye takes about thirty minutes, keeping the mixture at a simmer.  During that time, gradually lift the fabric out of the dye until only the bottom hem is submerged.  Then only the top and bottom ends of the towels will be fully saturated with colour with an ombré effect to the centre white section.
   
   
   
   
5. When the thirty minutes were up and the dye was completely absorbed, turn the heat off and the whole thing was left to cool.  I set it in an out of the way place overnight.  In the morning I poured out the pot and completely rinsed the towels through cold water, making sure to hold the white undyed portion up so any excess dye rinsed downward.  Wash and rinse them a few times in a sink of sudsy water till the water ran clear, and hang them out to dry.