How to Decorate Shirts With Food Coloring
- 1). Mix together 2 cups of water and 4 to 6 drops of food coloring in a bowl. Repeat using several different colors in separate bowls.
- 2). Twist sections of the shirt and wrap an elastic band around each twist. Any area covered with an elastic band will remain white while the remainder of the shirt will be dyed the color you dip it in. Have fun with this step and experiment with different designs. For example, you can create a circular effect on the front of the shirt by gathering a small amount of fabric, tying an elastic band around it, then gathering a larger amount of fabric around the first one and, once again, tying an elastic band around it. You can repeat this as many times as you wish.
- 3). Dip different sections of the shirt into the various bowls. Again, have fun with this and experiment with different techniques. One idea is to start with dark colors in the center and chose lighter colors as you move outward. You should also consider how much of the shirt you dip in each bowl, such as large chunks or tiny patches.
- 4). Hang your shirt to dry using clothes pins and a clothes line. If this is not available to you, use snap clips to hang the shirt from a clothes hanger.
- 5). Remove the elastic bands once the shirt is completely dry.
- 6). Shake out the wrinkles. Avoid ironing the shirt as the heat will release some of the color. Instead, wear it for a while to see if the wrinkles will fall out. If you must iron the shirt, turn it inside out, lay a towel over it, turn your iron to its lowest setting and run the iron over the towel, applying as little heat to the shirt as possible.
