This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Joann, all opinions are my own.

Want to learn how to tie dye like a pro? In this post I’m teaching you how to easily make a heart tie dye t-shirt with an all in one kit, plus tips for embellishing this shirt for Valentine’s Day.

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What is tie dye?

Tie dye as we know it is a relatively modern technique that found popularity in the 1960’s. It’s the art of resist dyeing that includes tying off sections of fabric and soaking the garment in colorful dyes.

There are hundreds of ways to tie up a shirt and create swirls of color. The key to a great results is to follow the dye instructions closely. Each garment will come out slightly different, but following the directions will result in vibrant colors and beautiful patterns.

I recommend this one step tie dye kit from Joann. It comes with a rainbow of colors, protective items for you and your work surface like rubber gloves and plastic wrap, as well as instructions for how to create a variety of designs.

A tie dye heart is a cute design that can be worn for Valentine’s Day. Check out the instructions below for all the details.

Find more DIY Valentine’s Day projects here.

Here are the products I started with, the tie dye kit and a pack of fabric markers. Plus a few key items that will make this process a breeze.

Covered work surface
Metal cooling rack
Large ziploc bag
White t-shirt pre washed
One step kit with dye powders and squirt bottle
Pencil
Rubber bands
Fabric markers
Gloves – these do come with the kit but having extra on hand is a good idea

How to make a heart tie dye shirt

Yield: 1

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Active Time: 15 minutes

Additional Time: 6 hours

Total Time: 6 hours 20 minutes

A colorful tie dye shirt for Valentine's Day

Materials

Tulip One Step Tie Dye Kit
Fabric markers
White t-shirt
Zip bag
Wire rack

Instructions

Soak a white t-shirt in water and ring out excess.
Fold shirt in half lengthwise and draw half a heart with pencil.
Pleat the shirt along the pencil line
Once the shirt is pleated from one end to the other, tie a rubberband around the shirt at the pencil line.
Add a few more rubber bands along the length of the shirt to complete the deisgn.
Prep your surface for dying. Lay out the plastic sheet and put on gloves. Place the wire rack on top of the sheet and your shirt on top of the rack.
The dye bottles in this kit come prefilled with powder coloring. Fill to the line with water and shake well. Squeeze each color onto the shirt.
For this shirt I used 2 shades of pink in different sections.
When the entire shirt is covered in dye, seal it in a zip bag for 4-6 hours to let the color work.
After 4-6 hours, remove from the bag and rinse under cold water. Remove the rubber bands and machine wash and dry to allow the color to set.
When the shirt is dry, decorate with fabric markers. I wrote the word love in red and added a black shadow. The marker will set and can be washed regularly.