Callie’s Craft Corner: Tie-Dyeing My Favorite Sweatshirt

A Laundry Mistake Turned Into My Next Craft

I’m back with episode two of Callie’s Craft Corner, and this week’s craft actually started with a laundry mistake. One little ChapStick managed to make its way through the washing machine (I didn't check my pockets) and happened to stain one of my favorite sweatshirts that I’ve worn nonstop for the past four years. Instead of giving up on it, I decided this was the perfect excuse to try something I’ve somehow never done before: tie-dye!

How I Ended Up Tie-Dyeing My Favorite Sweatshirt

Let me give you the background story because there is actually a reason I decided to try this craft.

I accidentally washed my clothes with a ChapStick in the pocket of my jeans, and it ended up getting all over some of my clothes. And of course, you can't get that stain out, it's like an oil stain.

If the stains weren’t coming out, maybe I could cover them up and give my favorite sweatshirt a whole new life.

And because you know I am a thrifter, I also thrifted a tank top for $1 so I could have another piece to experiment with, but that's for the future. I was focused on saving my sweatshirt this time. I wanted to make it fun and colorful.

How Much Did This Craft Cost?

The tie-dye kit I ordered from Amazon was $25, and with my $1 thrifted tank top, the total for this episode came to no more than $26.

You could probably find a cheaper kit on Amazon or at Walmart, especially if you only want a few colors, but I specifically wanted a kit that came with more than three to five colors because I knew I would want to use it again.

I was a little nervous about doing this because I didn't want to stain everything I own or make a huge mess everywhere, but I had to document the process.

What I Learned From My First Attempt at Tie-Dye

Overall, I think this turned out really great for my first time!

I will say there are definitely things I learned during the process, but that’s the beauty of crafting. You make something, figure out what worked and what didn’t, and then make it even better the next time. It’s kind of like baking.

I really like the colors, especially how the sleeves of my crewneck turned out, but I do think I needed to use more dye and really make sure it seeped all the way through the sweatshirt because the material was so thick.

For something thinner like a T-shirt or tank top, you probably would have been fine using about half a bottle of dye like I did. For a thick crewneck, though, I learned that next time I need to use the whole bottle and really make sure that dye gets through all of the layers.

After I finished dyeing everything, I let it sit on my balcony for 24 hours. Then I unwrapped it, washed it on the delicate cycle with delicate detergent and cold water, dried it, and it was good to go!