You draw on fabric with Sharpies (I suppose you can also use other types of permanent markers. I happen to have a lot of Sharpies.) Draw a design that is at least an inch in diameter. More ink bleeds more. Drip rubbing alcohol into the center of the design and watch the ink bleed out to beautiful effect. More highly concentrated alcohol works better. Look for 70% or more concentrate at the drug store. This is probably what you already have in the cabinet.
I probably have a medicine dropper somewhere, but we just used a straw as a dropper for the rubbing alcohol. Let them dry completely. After a few minutes, we laid ours out on an old towel to dry. To set the color, they must be heat set, but be careful with the iron or the clothes dryer because alcohol is extremely flammable.
We were totally mesmerized by the process and could not stop. I had some white muslin that I cut up to use, but we used that up quick, so I also cut up an old sheet.
We had to quit when the alcohol smell got to us. My daughter already cut up some of our creations to make a card for her teacher. I think we might put some beads onto some of these and stitch them into pretty ornaments. We haven't decided. They would look great in a quilt too!
** Edit: How fun! I was contacted today by Sharpie and Steve Spangler about this project!
This is so neat! Even though my kids are grown I think they would love doing this!
ReplyDeletePlease check out my Etsy store at:
http://www.etsy.com/shop/craftydiane
Have a blessed Day,
Diane
OOoooOOoo i have sharpies and i think i have alcohol at home. This looks awesome!
ReplyDeleteHi - I am the social media manager for Sharpie. These are soooooooooo cute! Have you done any videos and/or would you be willing to do one for our blog, http://blog.sharpie.com, and our community site, www.sharpieuncapped.com? Would love to feature you and share your cute tie-dyes!
ReplyDeleteSharpiesusan- How fun! Sure, I can contribute to your site. Does it have to be a video? You didn't leave any contact information for me...
ReplyDeleteI did something similar with a silk scarf. Now you can make a little tie-dye quilt.
ReplyDeleteadorable... i was thinking a tie dye quilt top too!
ReplyDeleteYour post is great... and the pictures of the spreading ink are some of the best I've seen. Thanks for trying out the activity and sharing some science at the same time.
ReplyDeleteSteve Spangler
Cool! these are beautiful starburst medallions and how cool to connect with Sharpie about your project!! What do you plan to do with these beauties?
ReplyDeletewhat an amazing craft... can't wait to try it...I just don't have sharpies or rubbing alcohol!
ReplyDeleteThat is coooool!!! I am addicted to Sharpies, and secretly love the smell of rubbing alcohol, so we're all set over here!
ReplyDeleteIs it weird to wonder if vodka would work as well? Because I kinda do wonder that.
Julie- I bet vodka would work great, any clear alcohol with a high alcohol content would work fine.
ReplyDeleteQuestion I see you mentioned something about a iron and dryer? So does that mean these have to be throw into the dryer?
ReplyDeleteRosie- Yes, they must be fully dry, and then you toss them into the hot dryer or iron them to set the color. If there is residual alcohol that hasn't yet evaporated, you have to be careful that it doesn't ignite in the dryer or with the iron...
ReplyDeletehey so can u give me a step by step on exactly how to do this? i read all the things you rote but i don't quite get it. my friend and i have a business, and we were thinking about maybe doing something like this. but seriously, you could totally sell those things that u made! check out our website at www.craftbusiness.webs.com and order something if you like. become a member too--that's kind of like subscribing but you can select when you want Webs to notify you when new content is posted. when you recieve this comment, please go to the website above, go to the Memebers page, click on Anna Grace Robinson (my fake name) and post a comment on my member page! thanks a lot!!!!!!!!!!!!
ReplyDeleteMeh.. selling isn't all it's cracked up to be. Are you crafty, Anna Grace? You just put an absorbant cloth over a glass with a rubber band, draw on it with Sharpies, and then drip a little bit of rubbing alcohol over it. Drip the alcohol in the center so that it seeps to the outside. This is a super easy craft. If you find this confusing, just try it with a paper towel, coffee filter, or tissue to see how it works.
ReplyDeleteWill this hold on a t shirt with regular wash and wear?
ReplyDeleteThis is awesome!! My daughter is going to have a bday party and we are going to do this. I am also going to try it with our paper mache piggy banks. We are going to color the cloth and put them in the glue and put them on the pigs.... hope it works! Thanks for the great ideas!
ReplyDeleteI cannot wait to try this technique! Thanks so much for showing how to do this :)
ReplyDeleteDeb♥
Very cool . I'm an art teacher and plan on trying this out in art camp! Thanks
ReplyDeleteMy son's 2nd grade teacher did this with the kids on t-shirts and they were so cute!! They all wore their shirts on field day and really stood out. His teacher also made an apron and, after setting the color, she drew pictures on top of the color bursts. She made one into a fish, a lion, etc. It was adorable!! We're about to make our own shirts on a hot summer day.
ReplyDeletei was looking for a craft for my family reouion and i found this. Then, i realized that we did this at camp 2 weeks ago!! I thought that the idea was geinous and now we're going to do it!
ReplyDeleteThanks so much whoever came up with this idea. Your a life saver to my family and camp friends!!!!!
that is sooooo cccccoooooooooolllll
ReplyDeletethis also works with t shirts last year i tied up tshirts with rubberbands traditionally and then had students color in shirts with sharpies in school colored patterns and then pored the alcohol over the entire shirt the more effective the coloring the more vibrant the shirt they were a big hit
ReplyDeleteMy sister learned about this craft at a Girl Scout Leader camp. She just had to show all of us. We made a rainbow on a shirt, added a few trees and other scenic items. We then held the t-shirt at an angle so the alcohol would run down and rather than dripping the alcohol, we sprayed it with a pump bottle. The effect was terrific! It ended up looking like a reflection in a lake. This craft certainly warrants experimentation! Lovely medallians!
ReplyDeleteI think it is great but why is it called tie dye when you don't use it?
ReplyDeleteWell, anonymous, I called it Tie-Dye because it looks like tie dye. When you blog about this simple activity, you can call it whatever you want.
ReplyDeletei found you via the sharpie website!
ReplyDeleteand I am gonna try this tie-dye right away !!!!!!!
would it be ok for me to show off your skills on my fashion blog?
it is called:
revasrags2roses.blogspot.com
i would include a link to your site(s) as well as your Etsy shop.
i am a follower now as well.
You are so imaginative and creative! Thanks for a new way to 'sharpie' :)
Pop by if you'd like to let me know or e-mail me at
retroreva@zoomtown.com
thanks so much!
xXx
Reva
Hey, after you spill or spray the alcohol onto the colored fabric while it is still wet try spraying or dripping water onto parts of the spreading color. Water acts as a kind of resist so you end up with a kind of acid wash effect.
ReplyDeleteSOOOO GORGEOUS! <3!!!!
ReplyDeletebumping as we found your site looking for sharpie pen science on google. beautiful designs!!
ReplyDeleteI work for a science summer camp for children ranging in age from 5-11 and we make t-shirts like this every year! The technical name for the process is "chromatography". Awesome pictures!!
ReplyDeletea-w-e-s-o-m-e! :D
ReplyDeleteWe used sharpies (thick AND thin) with a few squirts of Purell with Aloe and it worked like magic.(I suppose you could use this with Vitamin D Purell, too) I would recommend this if you do not have rubbing alcohol. I will share this secret on my blog, Writinright.blogspot.com
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing, I will bookmark and be back again
ReplyDeletePermanent Sharpie Marker
Wow!! Fabulous idea and I'm so glad I stubled upon your post. I did this on bandanas with 20 art camp kids and it worked AMAZINGLY even with the "faux sharpies" from the dollar store and drug store rubbing alcohol. The kids had so much fun and the patterns came out so interesting. I was the only one spraying for safety and I had a plastic bag covering the table. My bandana came out most interesting from cleaning up the colors that bled onto the bag - so fun! Looking forward to getting your posts via email :)
ReplyDeleteYour shirts turned out beautifully! I heat set mine in the dryer for 15 min, but some of the color washed out/ran onto the shirt. Any suggestions on how to avoid this? Is ironing more effective? if so, How long do you iron them to set the colors?
ReplyDeleteAnon- I don't know, ironing works easily. I do a lot of sewing, so I usually have my iron close at hand. I would not expect sharpie to be as durable on a shirt as paint or fiber reactive dye, so hand wash those items for better color fastness.
ReplyDeleteLove this! Will it work with Crayola washable markers?
ReplyDeleteLove this! Will it work with Crayola washable markers?
ReplyDeleteAnon- I suppose it would work with washable markers and water.
ReplyDelete