Joy's Life

Food, Recipe, DIY & Craft Blog - With Tons of Helpful Tutorials!

Wash the Dishes Kitchen Towel with SEI Tumble Dye

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The kids are out of school for the whole summer.  Now is the perfect time to make some awesome crafts together!  Here’s an idea…

Wash the Dishes Kitchen Towel with SEI Tumble Dye #SEI #TumbleDye #TieDye #Kitchen

See, if you create a direct command in ombre coloring it makes doing the dishes seem exciting and fun!  Right?!  Um…to avoid disappointment maybe we shouldn’t test that whole “doing dishes is exciting” theory on the kids but we should still make funny towels anyway.  LOL!  Regardless of what you want your towel to say, here’s how to make one using the super easy SEI Tumble Dye.

Wash the Dishes Kitchen Towel with SEI Tumble Dye #SEI #TumbleDye #TieDye #Kitchen

Design your template using a die cut machine, cutting by hand or using a purchased stencil.  I’m just using some plain white cardstock like I did in this tie dye post.  If you want a crisper look than the one I achieved, consider sticking your paper down with Glue Dots, that way the dye will stay in the lines.

Wash the Dishes Kitchen Towel with SEI Tumble Dye #SEI #TumbleDye #TieDye #Kitchen

That being said, these flour sack kitchen towels that I’m using are absorbent and thin, so the dye is going to bleed some.

Wash the Dishes Kitchen Towel with SEI Tumble Dye #SEI #TumbleDye #TieDye #Kitchen

I want mine to look damp when it’s finished, like a kitchen towel that’s wet from the sink.  So, I wanted a little overspray/bleed with the letters or I would have stuck them down better.  This time I took steps to cover all of the fabric that I didn’t want colored, as opposed to when I made this project.  I simply used scrap paper so I could throw it all away when I was finished.

Wash the Dishes Kitchen Towel with SEI Tumble Dye #SEI #TumbleDye #TieDye #Kitchen

Isn’t that pretty?!  First I sprayed the word “Wash” with the pink Tumble Dye, then red and orange as I continued to the following words.  I put the plastic sheet that protects my die cut mat under the layer of the towel where I was spraying so the dye wouldn’t spread to the layers below.

Wash the Dishes Kitchen Towel with SEI Tumble Dye #SEI #TumbleDye #TieDye #Kitchen

To keep the spray from getting all over my white desk, I use a Inkssentials Craft mat.  I’ve been using them for years and love them.  You’ll also see them marketed as Ranger craft mats.  You can even use an oven liner.  I bought this one and have been using it for over a year but I still prefer the other ones.

Wash the Dishes Kitchen Towel with SEI Tumble Dye #SEI #TumbleDye #TieDye #Kitchen

To set the dye, heat set the towel in the dryer or with an iron.  Bring on the dish washing…or the crafting of more towels!  What will your towel say?

I wrote this post while participating as a member of the SEI Design Team.

SEI Design Team

Happy Crafting!

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Comments

  1. Joy, Been a little under the weather, so I have to catch up. I think you are too funny...our mistakes are memorable huh? Anyhow, I think your towel is wonderfully colorful, and I love the ease of the Tumble Dyes. Tell me, when you wash your Tumble Dye projects, do they bleed? Do you wash them special?

    • Blue Rose, Sorry I didn't see your comment sooner! I hope you're feeling much better this week. (HUGS!) YES! ;) Mistakes are definitely memorable in my experience. I think it's an essential part of learning...and also a central theme for making me laugh at myself. LOL! About the project's washability: I haven't washed one yet! Ack! I will and will let you know how it goes. The product states that you need to heat set it by ironing or putting it in the dryer before washing. I have done that part. I'll get that done soon and respond! :) Have a great day!

  2. Hi Joy! Ive only just found your website and I love that you have so many ideas and tutorials. I bought a silhouette cameo last week and cant stop playing with it, so far only made things out of paper and blackboard vinyl so Ive been searching around the web trying to find some different things to do. Funnily enough I was just on the website I use to order my crafty stuff looking for some different things to try out with the cameo and searching the web in between, when I found this tutorial - and lucky for me the website where I order my craft products has the SEI Tumble Dye - on clearance. So Ive ordered every bright colour they have lol. Cant wait to try it out! I have a love for things that look like watercolour. Going to do some sayings and pictures on some white shirts for my 2yr old daughter :) keep up the awesome work and look forward to reading more tutorials! Heather

    • Hi Heather! You've done great for your first week of using the Silhouette! I'm so impressed! When I got my very first die cut machine, the Cricut Expression, I cut so much paper the first day that there was a small hill next to me. I couldn't figure out what I was doing wrong. It either stuck to the mat, tore, I didn't get the cut I expected or it didn't cut all the way through. I was so frustrated! I finally made one card that day and my husband still displays it. <3 It was a little card that said, "Thanks" because he bought me the Cricut. So, I think you did FANTASTIC trying vinyl and making things out of paper in your first week. ----- You're going to LOVE the Tumble Dye! I've also made a "Create" shirt with it and (my very favorite) Christmas tree hoop art! Now...back to Silhouette...if you'd like to see all of my Silhouette projects, check out this link to all of them on my site...or you can view them on my Silhouette Pinterest board. Have a wonderful time getting your craft on! I know you'll have a blast making shirts for your sweet daughter! :) P.S. I have Silhouette tutorials here...if you need them. :)