Saturday, July 14, 2012

DIY Tie-Dye Swimsuit Cover-up


I’ve been meaning to buy a cute swimsuit cover-up, but I’ve yet to find one that I love. So of course -- I decided to make one. Who doesn’t love a good tie-dye?! This would be a great DIY to do with a friend, so you can split the tie-dye kit.

Before & After
Supplies needed:
A white t-shirt (I bought a large, and I usually wear a medium t-shirt)
Tie Dye kit
Needle & thread

You can tie dye your shirt however you want, but if you want a spiral effect like mine, here are the steps.
1. Pinch your shirt wherever you want the center of your swirl to be.
2. Swirl your shirt around your pinch until it’s compact.
3. Divide your shirt into 6 sections with 3 rubber bands.
4. Squirt your dye in each section. Try not to overlap your colors.
5. Place shirt in a plastic bag for about 8-14 hours.
6. Rinse shirt in the bathtub.
7. Wash your shirt by itself on hot in a large sized load.

As for the braided racer back steps:
(adapted from TheSorryGirls on Youtube)
Lay your shirt out flat.
1. Starting about 1 ½ inches below the bottom of your sleeve, cut one sleeve off of your shirt, creating a U-shape.
2. Use your cut-off sleeve as a pattern to cut off your other sleeve. (Save those sleeves for later!)
3. Flip your shirt over so the back is face-up. Cut the back sleeves of your shirt, making the holes bigger ONLY in the back, making a wide racer-back shape.
4. Now, flip your shirt back over and cut off your collar. At first, I only cut about a 1-inch collar off, but I ended up cutting it more. So, I would recommend cutting about a 2-inch collar.
5. Flip to the back of the shirt again. Cut a straight line right below your collar, cutting your racer back off.
6. Divide and cut your loose piece of racer back fabric into 3 strips. Tug on the strips to make them longer and easier to braid.
7. Braid your 3 strips all the way to the top. Sew a few stitches at the end of your brad to hold it together.
8. Now take your collar and fold it in half to find the center. Make a small mark where the center of your collar is.
9. Make a few stitches connecting your braid to the center of your collar.
10. Now cut a strip of fabric from one of your cut-off sleeves, about 1 ½ inches wide and 4 inches long. You can pull on both sides of it to make it longer.
11. You’re going to use this fabric to cover your stitching. Stitch the end of the strip to the connection, and wrap it around covering your previous stitching. Connect your fabric at the end to complete your shirt.
There you are- your own tie dye swimsuit cover-up!


-A

64 comments:

  1. That is so cute! I love the detailed explanation!

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  2. I am loving all the ideas on your blog. Definitely adding to my daily reads. Keep inspiring others to create :)

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    1. Thank you so much! I'm so glad to have you as a new follower! :)

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  3. I MUST MUST try this!! it looks so easy!

    newly follower! love ur cute blog

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    1. It really is so easy and cheap! (and fun!) Thank you!! Glad to have you here! :)

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  4. Your instructions are terrific. I hate when bloggers don't do detailed explanations. They could take a lesson from you. Great job! (and super cute, by the way).

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    1. You are too sweet. Thank you!! I'm glad they are easy to understand!

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  5. oh my gosh! I LOVE this! need to make one before I head to the beach at the end of the summer!

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    1. Thank you!! I'll definitely be taking mine to the beach too! :)

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  6. where do you get the Tie-dye kit?

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    1. I got mine at Walmart, but you can find the kits at any craft store (Hobby Lobby, JoAnns, Michael's, A.C. Moore, etc)!!

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  7. WANT WANT WANT THis is sooooo awesome thank you sooooo much for sharing!

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  8. I have a question, what is the racer?

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    1. 'Racer back' is just a description of the style of the back of the shirt!

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  9. This is so creative! I'm definitely going to try it!

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  10. great tips! love your blog! im your newest follower!
    xoxo
    janean @howikeepsane.com

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  11. Thank you!! So happy to have you here! :)

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    1. Will u make mine for me !!!!! No patience!!@ :) love it

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  12. I love this!! Did you wash your shirt before you dyed it? Or does it matter??

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  13. Thank you!! I actually did not pre-wash wash my tshirt, but I don't think it would matter if you wanted to!

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  14. I love it, especially for a teenager or my 5 year old granddaughter that thinks she is a teenager. Great instructions, need more bloggers like you, that's for sure.

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    1. Thank you! I'm so glad you like it. And thank you; that means a lot! :)

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  15. this is absolutely fantastic, and really cute :) I love making my own clothes, so I'm going to have to try this. Yourintstructions are so easy to understand, thank you!!

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    1. You should definitely try it! It was such a fun project. Thank you!!

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  16. I can't wait to try this. Thank you for the clear directions especially on the tye dye, have always wondered how they did that.

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    1. No problem at all!! So glad the directions are clear to you!

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  17. What a cute idea! LOVE this!
    Lisa H.
    lisastuf.blogspot.com

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  18. linda esta camiseta adorei ...

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  19. Ameiii... ficou perfeita! Gostei mto da dica! Qto capricho heim...


    blogdabiane.com.br

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  20. I saw this on pintrest and decided to check it out. It's adorable and I can't wait to try it out once it get warmer!

    Kiera
    cuciredolce.blogspot.com

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    1. I love this. I bought one almost like this many many moons ago. I have since worn it out & wanted to find another one. I stumbled onto you from pintress, what luck. Yeepee! Great cover-up.

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  21. I tried to print your instructions so I & my daughter could make one, but no luck. My office is to small to do tie dye in. Help!

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  22. Love it! Thank u for sharing! My husband has tons of tshirts this is gonna be great for my next trip to Los Cabos :)

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  23. Did you dye your shirt while it was wet or dry??

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  25. If I am making 3 shirts, do you think I could wash them together in one load or should I keep them separate?

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  26. Simple instructions, thanks! I"ll have to try it.

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  27. the tie dye kit will have instructions on it - follow them. :) I've done a ton of tiedye and I always was first to remove any sizing or softeners. The dyes stay better that way and run less after.

    I like the style of the shirt - I have a bunch of big shirts, I think I'll try it out.

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  28. the tie dye kit will have instructions on it - follow them. :) I've done a ton of tiedye and I always was first to remove any sizing or softeners. The dyes stay better that way and run less after.

    I like the style of the shirt - I have a bunch of big shirts, I think I'll try it out.

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  29. I just found your blog through a pin of this DIY on Pinterest. I LOVE it! Great job Allie!!

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  30. Just saw this on Buzzfeed and thought it was so cute! I may have to try this for our vacation coming up!

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  31. Allie I just saw this on Buzzfeed and it's so cute, I really want to try it! Can you put it on Pinterest so I can pin and save it for later?

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  32. Love this!! Doing this right now and referenced you in my blog! Thanks for such an awesome idea! I'm going to the beach twice this month and this will definitely be useful!

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  33. Cute, love the back! Thanks for sharing, I posted a link on my blog. Lifesjourneytoperfection.blogspot.com

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  34. Love, love I've! Just made one out of my hubby's old t shirt and turned out great!

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  35. vandella costumes has been selling quality competition suits , Two Piece Swimsuits
    and costumes to pros and amateurs for 17 years.

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  36. I love this!!! I have a trip to Mexico coming up and I think I'll make a couple of different cover-ups :)

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  37. Great idea! Thank you for sharing ist!

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  39. So, after you finished washing it on a hot temperature, what temperature should you dry it? Just curious, because I want to make sure that I get this project done right. I really like the color scheme you used, and do you mind telling me where you got your kit from?(: Thanks.

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  40. Love It!!! Thanks for the idea!!. So cool

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  41. Love this! How many tie-dye kits do you need? I plan on making multiple for my bachelorette party! :)

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  42. I just made this based on your instructions and it was super easy. I ended up cutting the straps into thirds and braiding them as well. Gives a little more detail to the front. Thanks for the tutorial. My friends and I will look stylin' on the beach in 9 days!!

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  43. I'd love to make this but for my 2 1/2 year old so I'd be using a 4 or 5t shirt since she is so tall, any recommendations or input on the measurement cuts for using that little of a shirt?

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  44. I'd love to make this but for my 2 1/2 year old so I'd be using a 4 or 5t shirt since she is so tall, any recommendations or input on the measurement cuts for using that little of a shirt?

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  45. It's wonderful!!!!
    http://glampond.blogspot.it

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  46. OMG remi from missremiashten on YouTube made a video about this post go check it out NOT A SPAM❤️❤️

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  47. OMG remi from missremiashten on YouTube made a video about this post go check it out NOT A SPAM❤️❤️

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  48. Loved your post! Soooo detailed... I'm taking mine to Cancún ;D woohooo! thanks girl, you rock!

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