Tie-Dye Fourth of July Shirts

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Making Fourth of July shirts for Independence Day is such a fun and creative way to show some spirit! Catch some serious red, white, and blue vibes with this easy DIY that you can create on your own or with your family.

make tie-dye shirts for fourth of july

There’s not a whole lot that I love more than really leaning into a holiday theme. And I feel like Fourth of July is always my sleeper holiday.

I totally forget how much I love it until the day before and then I want to go all out. Last year at the very last minute I decided to make tie-dye Fourth of July shirts and they were a big hit with the kids.

And I have to say, they turned out kind of rad as far as tie-dye goes.

make tie-dye shirts for fourth of july

Tie Dye Projects To Try

If you love this and want more tie dye inspiration or ideas for Fourth of July shirts, check these out too:

Where To Get Tie Dye Materials

When you’re choosing materials to make these tie dye Fourth of July shirts, you can use your favorite tie dye supplies! Over the years I’ve tested a few different types of dye kits and definitely have some favorites.

I really like this tie dye kit because it’s simple to put together. This is a great one if you’re having kids help you to the dyeing. The bottles are pre-loaded with powdered dye and you just add water.

Alternatively, if you know you just want to do red and blue dye, you can save some money and buy individual colors. These Tulip dyes are great.

The Best Shirts for This Project

When tie dyeing, I like to use 100% pre-shrunk cotton shirts. I find that they take color really well and that they yield vibrant results with interesting patterns.

Make sure to avoid shirts made with synthetic materials, as lots of synthetics tend to resist dye.

Tie Dye Tips for Best Results

Just a few tricks to make sure that you get the best results for your Fourth of July shirts!

Experiment first. Try a test patch on your specific fabric before you dive in! You may want to try bunching it, banding it, or using varying degrees of moisture on it before you add the dye.

Be patient. The longer you let your dye sit after application, the more vibrant your colors will be. It’s tough to wait for the results but it will be worth it!

Watch for colors running. In this instance, you don’t want the red and blue to mix (making purple). So I recommend not dampening your shirt too much before dyeing. Additionally, be careful not to overlap the colors when you apply them to the shirt.

make tie-dye shirts for fourth of july

Supply List

Now let’s get to it!

Make Time: 15 Minutes Plus Cure and Dry Times

How to Make Fourth of July Shirts

  1. Prep your shirt according to the instructions on your packaging. Once it’s prepped, add your rubber bands. You can choose any pattern you like! We created small gathers of fabric, bunched them up, and wrapped a rubber band around each gather. I gathered the fabric so that it bunched toward the front of the shirt; we used about 6 rubber bands/gathers.
  2. Dampen your shirt. Some people like to do this step before the rubber bands go on, but I like the way that the dye reacts when I dampen the shirt after it’s been banded. I don’t necessarily soak it; I just run it quickly under some water and then let the water do its own soaking for a minute or so. Squeeze out any excess water.
  3. Wearing rubber or plastic gloves, prep your dyes according to the instructions on the packaging. We used red and royal blue.
  4. Place your shirt on the plastic trash bag (or on a tarp or something similar). It’s probably best to do this step outside, or in a place where it won’t matter if you accidentally splash a little dye around! Place the shirt face up and right side up, as best you can with all of the rubber banding.
  5. Apply dye in your desired pattern. We did a diagonal design, with red on the top half and blue on the bottom in a diagonal.
  6. Place your shirt on a fresh trash bag for the dye to do its job. I also like to place another trash bag over the top of it while the dye is curing. Allow to cure for 4-6 hours.
  7. If desired, rinse out any excess dye. Then carefully cut away the rubber bands. This is highly debated, but I don’t like to rinse my dye out before I wash it. I wash the shirt alone, on cold, with color-fast detergent. You can try this, or you can follow the instructions on your tie-dye packaging.

More Ways to Use This DIY

Once that bad boy is dry, put it on and wave your flag! I love how the diagonal design came out, and how clean the colors stayed at the point where they meet. (I was a little worried we’d end up with a big purple mess.) This method would look super cute on tank tops, tote bags, cotton shorts, and more! xoxo

Other Fourth of July Ideas

P.S. Don’t forget to try these!

make tie-dye shirts for fourth of july
make tie-dye shirts for fourth of july
make tie-dye shirts for fourth of july

Tie-Dye Fourth of July Shirts

Yield: Fourth of July shirts
Active Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 15 minutes
Difficulty: Easy
Estimated Cost: $20

These tie dye Fourth of July shirts are a fun way to show your patriotic spirit.

Materials

  • Tie dye kit
  • White cotton shirts
  • Rubber bands
  • Trash bags
  • Gloves

Tools

  • Scissors

Instructions

    1. Prep your shirt according to the instructions on your packaging. Once it's prepped, add your rubber bands. You can choose any pattern you like! We created small gathers of fabric, bunched them up, and wrapped a rubber band around each gather. I gathered the fabric so that it bunched toward the front of the shirt; we used about 6 rubber bands/gathers.
    2. Dampen your shirt. Some people like to do this step before the rubber bands go on, but I like the way that the dye reacts when I dampen the shirt after it's been banded. I don't necessarily soak it; I just run it quickly under some water and then let the water do its own soaking for a minute or so. Squeeze out any excess water.
    3. Wearing rubber or plastic gloves, prep your dyes according to the instructions on the packaging. We used red and royal blue.
    4. Place your shirt on the plastic trash bag (or on a tarp or something similar). It's probably best to do this step outside, or in a place where it won't matter if you accidentally splash a little dye around! Place the shirt face up and right side up, as best you can with all of the rubber banding.
    5. Apply dye in your desired pattern. We did a diagonal design, with red on the top half and blue on the bottom in a diagonal.
    6. Place your shirt on a fresh trash bag for the dye to do its job. I also like to place another trash bag over the top of it while the dye is curing. Allow to cure for 4-6 hours.
    7. If desired, rinse out any excess dye. Then carefully cut away the rubber bands. This is highly debated, but I don't like to rinse my dye out before I wash it. I wash the shirt alone, on cold, with color-fast detergent. You can try this, or you can follow the instructions on your tie-dye packaging.

Notes

Just a few tricks to make sure that you get the best results for your Fourth of July shirts!

Experiment first. Try a test patch on your specific fabric before you dive in! You may want to try bunching it, banding it, or using varying degrees of moisture on it before you add the dye.

Be patient. The longer you let your dye sit after application, the more vibrant your colors will be. It's tough to wait for the results but it will be worth it!

Watch for colors running. In this instance, you don't want the red and blue to mix (making purple). So I recommend not dampening your shirt too much before dyeing. Additionally, be careful not to overlap the colors when you apply them to the shirt.

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