DIY: Rainbow Short

Rainbow Short

Things you’ll need:

• An old pair of shorts/pants
• A bucket
• A tie dye kit (I bought a kit with Red, Yellow, Green, Blue, and Purple, and bought an extra Orange). 
• Bleach
• Gloves (make sure you have two pairs!)
• Scissors (only if you are using an old pair of pants. if you are using shorts, you dont need them.)

Steps:

1. This step is only for pants. If you are using shorts, skip to step 2. Take your scissors and carefully cut the legs off of your pants. I tried my pants on several times to make sure the edge was straight. I suggest trying them on and marking one leg with a pen or sharpie, but this is optional. Cut one leg the length you want, then fold the pants in half and follow the length of the first leg. I frayed the ends of my shorts a little, but you don’t have to. They will become a little frayed in the dryer. If you do want to fray the ends, just take a pair of tweezers and pull at the ends. 
2. Take your bucket and fill it up about 1/4 the way with water. Take the bleach and pour it into the bucket until the bucket is filled up halfway. Pouring straight bleach on your shorts can often tear the fibers or make the shorts permanently smell like bleach. I had to learn this the hard way! Leave the shorts in the bucket until they are bleached white. It is okay if some spots are darker than others. They will get covered up with the dye! Always wear a pair of gloves when you are touching bleach. 
3. Rinse the bleach out. I suggest soaking them in a sink full of water for a few hours to help get any excess bleach out. You do not want your shorts to smell like bleach! After they have soaked for a few hours, take them outside and lay them in the sun. 
4. When the shorts are about 70-80% dry, get ready to tie dye! You might want to tie dye outside, seeing as how it can get pretty messy. You also might want to change into junk clothes so you don’t get dye on your good clothes. Mix your dyes, put on a pair of gloves, and begin!
5. I started in the middle with the lightest colors. If you spill the lighter colors where they don’t belong, they can easily be covered up. You don’t have to color your shorts in the same order as mine, but I liked this way best. Just pour the dye on in strips, going from lightest to darkest. Carefully flip the shorts over when you’re done with the front. Most of the color should of soaked through to the other side, so it will be easy to match the colors on the back. 
6. Leave your shorts outside in the sun for about 24 hours. If you don’t want to wait that long, leave them outside for at least 8 hours. The longer you leave the shorts out, the more vibrant the colors will be. 
7. When they are done sitting out in the sun, fill your bucket with water and dip the shorts in the water to help rinse out any extra dye. After you rinse them, carefully carry the shorts to your washing machine and put them in a load by themselves on the hottest water setting. (I tie dyed a shirt with my extra dye, so I put that in there too. It’s okay to wash multiple dyed items together, as long as you rinse the extra dye out in a bucket first.) When they’re done, throw them in the dryer, and you’re done! Enjoy!

Do you gonna try this out?