How to make a tie-dye shirtdress

Tag : Cotton Dye
A white cotton shirtdress, 8- or 12-quart cooking pot, two bottlesof Rit liquid dye (one in a light, vibrant color and one in adarker color), 36 inches of muslin fabric cut into 14- by 4-inchstrips, a large spoon, salad tongs, rubber dish gloves.
1. Fill pot with water, bring to a boil and remove the pot to adeep sink or metal wash tub (do not pour the water out). Add bottleof lighter Rit dye to the pot and stir until dissolved. (Thislighter color will become the "stripes"; the background color willbe the darker shade.)
2. Using tongs, submerge the dress in the pot. Stir for one minute,making sure the dress stays completely covered in water.
3. Using tongs, remove the dress and rinse excess dye under astream of cold water. Wearing rubber dish gloves, tightly wring thedress until it is free of excess water. Hang the dress to dry.Thoroughly rinse the pot, making sure it is free of dye.
4. Fill the pot with fresh water and bring to a boil. Whilewaiting, lay the shirtdress flat and fold it in half vertically,along the button front.
5. If you want horizontal stripes, loop one muslin strip around thebottom of the dress and continue looping until you have just enoughmuslin to tie a double knot, as tightly as possible. Repeat thelooping and tying for each horizontal line. For a stripe running upthe sleeves and across the shoulders, loop the muslin from sleeveto sleeve.
6. If you want vertical stripes down the side of the dress, loopone muslin strip through the sleeve and down to the hem. Continuelooping until there is just enough muslin to tie in a double knot.Repeat on other side.
7. Place the pot of boiled water back in the sink or tub. Pour theentire bottle of the darker Rit dye into the pot and stir untilcompletely dissolved.
8. Using tongs, submerge the dress in the dyed water. Stir for oneminute, making sure it stays completely covered.
9. Using tongs, remove the dress from the pot and rinse excess dyeunder a stream of cold water. Wearing rubber dish gloves, tightlywring the dress until it is free of excess water. Untie each muslinstrip, and voila!
The 15-minute variation: Skip steps 1 through 3 and use only 1bottle of dye. That will give you a dress with white "stripes"after a single-dye process.