I have been wanting to try tie dying Sacred Heart T-shirts for years, ever since the kids made
Sacred Heart “Flags” one summer, and seeing the original ideas in
this post over at the Little Flowers blog. With the feast of the Sacred Heart coming up this Friday, and since we’ll be camping, I thought this was the perfect time.
The girls were a little more excited about the project than the boys, but I bribed them said they could earn a sticker for the “Complete a Science Experiment” square on this week’s Summer Bingo Cards, and that they could all choose their own colors from the kit.
The kids all drew the hearts on their shirts and I helped with all the folding. We were all very skeptical that the hearts would actually turn out, but Charlotte reassured me that we would be surprised!
I made a huge mess trying to dump the color into each of the little bottles, and ended up tie-dying my hands along with the shirts despite the gloves! Still it was a fun experiment, right?! 😉
After dying the heart red, followed by yellow, the kids all picked different colors to complete their shirts. The older boys choose dark brown and green, Twinkle Toes choose fushia, Chiquita choose violet, and we went with Turquoise for Snuggles and Bud, and lime for Rose. Yes, I had to let go of my perfectionist tendencies when the boys decided they wanted to go with a “camouflaged” look…
We wrapped up the shirts in plastic wrap. The directions recommended waiting 6-8 hours, or longer for more vibrant colors, but since we got started so late in the day, we only waited about 4 1/2 hours.
We were surprised that the hearts turned, at least for the most part! My favorite shirts were the fushia, turquoise, and lime. I really liked the violet too, but I did a poor job folding the heart on Chiquita’s shirt. I didn’t really care for the “camo” shirts, and the boys refuse to wear them anyways, but it was a neat idea!
When I was hanging them all up along the front deck to take a picture, I laughed at the thought of what my husband was going to think when he arrived home (at any minute) and saw all the tie-dye… I was pretty sure there was no way that our children would be wearing these in pubic!
Late last night I asked if he really hated them… He replied with a grin, “Hate is a strong word… We hippies don’t use that word.” I’m still laughing! (And we are leaving the shirts home.)
Prayer of Mothers
Father in heaven, grant me the grace to appreciate the dignity which you have conferred on me. Let me realize that not even the Angels have been blessed with such a privilege—to share in your creative miracle and bring new Saints to heaven. Make me a good mother to all my children after the example of Mary, the Mother of your Son. Through the intercession of Jesus and Mary I ask your continued blessings on my family. Let us all be dedicated to your service on earth and attain the eternal happiness of your kingdom in heaven. Amen.
We made these last year and the girls loved them! I think they wore them once in public and then they became night shirts!
The shirts look cute. I especially like the colors that Twinkle Toes picked. I thought about making those last year but I just knew my husband would think I went off the deep end with hippie tie-dye tees.
Jessica
Just discovered I can read your posts in entirety in google reader! thank you, thank you for changing your settings:) 🙂
My children ( husband and I too ) have these shirts and REALLYYYYY like them! They have winter ones as well.
I love the fun involved here! But I think I'll just do the cookies or something. Love your husband's sense of humor!! Have a great time camping!
the shirts look great. too bad the boys won't wear them. maybe you could turn it into a pillow for the beds.
prayers for a blessed time at camp. ALL FOR!
My husband and I have the same feelings as your husband with the tie dye. We have never worn nor owned any…nor plan on it. I do want to try to make something tie dye for the experience, but not planning on wearing it!
These turned out nicely!
Your husband's line cracked me up. Thanks for that. I think the shirts turned out neat. I don't mind the tye-dye. All kids need that experience. I had seen the idea but was waiting until the girls were older as I didn't see the boys loving the hearts. 🙂 I second the use of them as night shirts.
I like the camo, but was thinking of it as mint chocolate chip, so perhaps that's why!
Am I the only one? But I thought they turned out super cute! I think wearing them in public would be a great way to talk about the Sacred Heart of Jesus with others. You should link up your post over on my blog for our Feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus! I think others would be inspired to make these cute t-shirts! Sacred Heart Blessings to you and your family!
Heeeeeee!!!!
Aw, come on Jessica. You'd look like such homeschoolers if you all went public with your tie-dye. 😉
I demand to see the onesie on the baby. 🙂
To je nádhera! Krásne tričká. 🙂
It is beautifull! Nice T-shirt.
Greeting from Slovakia.
I have tye dyed for years, I love doing it!!! It's not has hard as people think. I love how you wrapped them in plastic wrap…I always pin them with the rubber bands to the side of a bucket… I love how the 2 middle ones turned out! (pink and purple ones!)
(they all turned out great though)
We wear ours in public, must be Minnesota hippy wannabees.
Just love these, man or should I say Mom!!!
I bet your girls and little bud would look super cute in them, they've just got to have an aring other than hanging on the decking.
Hope you have a lovely family camp full of many blesssings.
San
I agree, Noreen! I think these are cute, and a lovely way to celebrate the Feast with children, so innocent and Summery. I don't understand the not wanting to wear them in public? But nevermind 🙂 Blessed Feast to you all! 🙂
I think the camo ones turned out great! But I love the other ones too. Are you going to add the crown of thorns? I made these a few years ago but with primary colors. My boys were proud to wear them but I added a cross, flames, and the crown of thorns to it. Otherwise, there's no way they'd just wear a tie-dye shirt with a heart on it. 😉 I think tie-dye is so much fun! I love seeing the results. And I just can't resist the colors!
The shirts turned out adorable! I would let my kids wear them out in public (maybe not all at the same time) but if they really wanted to I would say yes. Think of how easy it would be to spot them at the park or some kind of public place. I can understand the boys not wanting to wear theirs but the girls would look so cute matching in them!
One of the activities for our Annual Homeschool Camping Trip is making tie dye….so all wear their creations proudly!!! I think they turned out great. I think we'll be trying to make some if the sun comes back out.
My children's school does tie-dye for spirit day. The kids look forward to it; the moms aren't as excited by it since we get dyed in the process. But I love the hearts. I may have to try this with my daughter and her girlfriends ~ they are all about tie-dye.
I love them! Embrace the hippie… just not their politics, lol.
Very cool!! I've always wanted to try this and never got up the courage, lol.
LOL, Amy! I love that…Embrace your inner hippie!! lol! 😉
Its looks nice.Colours are outstanding and brightness is catching.
do you just draw the heart onto the t shirt with pen or what
WOW! That one with the fuchsia background is OUTSTANDING! I would for sure wear it… or any of them… in public! The camo ones are also VERY cool! I'd wear that, too! I work part time at my parish and I wear tie dye shirts all the time. The fun thing about tie dye is that while we can think of a design and lay it all out, and apply the colors "just so"– the real art comes when God moves the colors and guides the folds, and decides just how much dye is going to soak up and where. When I tie dye, I think of it as playing with God. We work together to create these designs. I too am a perfectionist, and at first I would get frustrated when a drippy bottle would result in a drop of blue landing on a pink area. But because I love making spirals and I experiment with different wraps and folds and color orders, a little stray drop somewhere doesn't matter. I used to get so mad at myself when those little drops would go where I didn't want them to. But then, I just offered it up. This must be God's work, and His work is perfect. God makes it all work out and the end result is "awesomely and wonderfully made; wonderful are your works, O Lord"- Psalm 139:14 This is so true here, too. Those heart shirts are all awesomely and wonderfully made, with God and the Holy Spirit deciding how the colors will move and flow through the fabric. When I use only 3 colors to make a design, and I end up with a rainbow of other colors as the ones I applied move and flow together… I didn't do that. God did. It's like grace. We don't do anything to earn His grace. We can pray, we can do our best in life to love and serve Him, but He gives us those extra blessings because He loves us. We all sin, we all fall short of the perfection of our Lord Jesus, God's beloved Son. But God loves us anyway! He gives us grace… just as we get those extra rainbow colors in our tie dye, though we didn't put those into our work on purpose. He gives them to us anyway by our faith. "For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God" -Ephesians 2:8. All of those shirts are beautiful, because they are as much the work of God as they are of us. WEAR those shirts with joy, "For You have made me rejoice, LORD, by what You have done; I will shout for joy because of the works of Your hands" -Psalm 92:4 God bless you and your precious family!