Make a Tie-Dyed Pumpkin Shirt!

cross-posted at The Lily Pad Blog.

Here's a fun and easy craft, that you could even do with your children if they are a little older. My neighbor gave me the idea and the page she tore out of Family Fun magazine. The directions come from the magazine article {along with my comments}, but I've inserted my own photos!

"Wear your Halloween spirit on your sleeve with this groovy tie-dyed jack-o'-lantern shirt!"

1. Pinch and gather up a portion of the T-shirt fabric, then add a rubber band 1 or 2 inches from the point of the pinch. Wrap the band around several times until it's nice and tight. Create similar sections with rubber bands all over the shirt and sleeves. {I just did 2 because I was using a teeny shirt!}

2. Prepare the dyebath according to the instructions on the package. Thoroughly wet the shirt with water. Wearing rubber gloves, submerge the shirt in the dye. Let it soak until it looks a shade darker than you want it to be.

3. Still wearing gloves, rinse the shirt under warm running water. As the rinse becomes less orange, change the water temperature to cold.

4. Once the water from the shirt runs clear, carefully cut off the rubber bands. Dry the shirt.

5. Insert cardboard {or folded newspaper} inside the shirt, then use a permanent marker to draw jack-o'-lantern features inside each circle. Fill in the shapes with the marker, or use black fabric paint (which stays black longer). {I used a sharpie but plan to outline the shapes in black puff paint later. I also plan to sew a decorative black stitch along the the shirt bottom!}