Tie dye party idea for adults and teens! If you’re looking for fun group craft ideas this summer that go beyond a simple t-shirt party, keep reading for some creative options that would work well for family get togethers, camps, and birthday parties!
We tie dye every summer as a family and wear the tshirts and socks all year, but I wanted to experiment with something a little more involved. There are countless ways to personalize and embellish on top of tie dye projects and I’m sharing my favorites after doing some creative experiments. The customized pouches would make great gifts or party favors too!
This post was sponsored by JOANN, which means they supplied some of the materials and compensated me for my time, but all opinions are my own.
Using the kit makes life easy because you just add water to the premeasured bottles and shake; plus you can keep the bottles for your next project and just buy replacement powder. I used my favorite color scheme but there are of course yellows, greens, black, and reds as well! Keep scrolling to see what all is in the kit and for specifics on the embellishments I added and tie dye methods I used!
Check out these other posts while you’re here!
- How to tie dye with bleach – jogger pants refashion
- The easy way – how to tie dye shoes
- How to make an upcycled DIY tie dye blanket
- Tips on tie dye shirts for kids with kids!
- 15+ fun summer sewing projects
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Tie dye party idea for adults and teens
Supplies
Tie dye blanks & supplies
- White zip pouches (that are used in this post)
- Tie dye party kit (that’s used in this post) – if you’ve used a kit in the past and saved the bottles you can also order refill powder pouches!
- Plain tote – or you can DIY one with my easy tutorial here
- Plain tshirts
- Plain bandana
- Plain baby hats
- Plain socks
Customization supplies
- Tulip fabric paint
- Stamps – flower and pineapple
- Fancy zipper pull
- Flat back gems & fabric glue (could also use small patches!)
- Pearl cotton for hand embroidery
Steps
Here you can see what all is included in the kit! All the bottles with prefilled color powder, rubber bands, gloves, a tablecloth, and instructions for tie dye methods. I happened to have a sheet rip recently that wasn’t worth mending so I used that underneath with plans to use up my extra dye on it. Keep in mind before you start that you need to use the dye on the same day that you mix it up, so have enough projects at the ready!
The zipper pouches say to hand wash but with them being 100% cotton I figured better safe than sorry and wash/dried them like usual.
From the bottom left corner going clockwise I used the ombre method, crumple, swirl, sunburst, and stripes; there is a quick picture tutorial on the insert for all of them! The instructions suggest wrapping it in plastic wrap but since I knew these wouldn’t be washed very often and the sun was hot and high, I let them bake in the sun instead.
Here they are after the dye had dried but before washing and drying them for a final time! I experimented with these so not all of them show up in the final photos below but I thought I’d share so you could see some different styles on small pouches.
Freezer paper stencil
Freezer paper stenciling always feels like magic no matter how often I do it; if you’re not familiar, there is a full tutorial here. With this specific project, make sure to layer a piece of freezer paper in between the layers lest the paint soak through!
I can picture this style being used for a group of friends or bridesmaid party, the sky is the limit with adding text or pictures as long as you can trace and cut it out!
Gem embellishments
Gems and a new zipper pull elevate this dirt cheap pouch into something fancy! Adding color coordinated gems is an easy way to match a favorite sports team, turn something into a mermaid treasure, or switch to studs for a different aesthetic. This is also the easiest way to add on to a pouch since all you do is glue and stick, making it simple for younger kids to do as well!
Hand stitching over tie dye
Last but not least, hand stitching over top tie dye! This is super easy through the sturdy canvas; I just did random geometric lines but you could also add text like this past pouch project, freehand flowers, or a free pattern over top.
I’d love to hear how a family, sports team, camp group, or friend party uses this idea to come together and get crafty! I had a lot of fun making these and look forward to using the other colors from the kit making traditional shirts with my kids. Leave a comment with something unique that you’ve tie dyed before!