A Striped Tye Dye Shirt for July 4th: Summer Of Joann

A few weeks ago I was invited by Joann Fabric & Craft stores to make a project with my kids based on 72 kids projects featured in Joann's Spring Kids Crafts Ideas.

The project on my left was my inspiration.

I had made some hand painted American flag shorts for Gigi last year and they still fit her. They tend to do a lot of growing UPWISE but not so much WIDTHWISE at this age.

A red, white, and blue tye dye t shirt was just the thing that she needed to go with her shorts!

We were going to the home of our good friends, who have a lovely home in the hills of Malibu for the fourth of July after a day at the beach. They are a creative family, and built their own home themselves. They raise chickens, grow their own food ,and run a successful pre school on their property. It's just lovely! And they have great parties with lots of DELICIOUS food!

Here is my friend with a few of her former students!

Handmade Tequila ice cream sandwiches !

Our hosts, Everett and Deene.

Everett can still do backflips!

A Malibu view.

The shed/ workroom/ outdoor dining room.

We ate at a long communal table our host made himself.

It was a nice Independence day.

I love the simple beauty of these water bottles in a rustic setting with a vintage tablecloth.

Here are some directions to make your own striped tye dye short. The directions from the original Where's The Beach T Shirt Project shown above can be found here.

I cut down a ladies fitted T I bough at Joann. I chose the fitted t because I liked the smaller neckhole.

I sewed up the sides and lifted up the armholes , using one of Gigi's tees for a template.

I used my hairbands to section off the t shirt then soaked the t shirt in 1 tbsp.soda dye for twenty minutes. We squirted Rit Dye in bottles mixed with  equal parts water on each section, saturating the fabric really well.

It sat for an hour before I removed the bands and  rinsed it. 

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