This is a sponsored guest post.
Anyone can fall victim to Covid-19, regardless of age. That means kids are no exception to this deadly virus. That said, we should always keep them at home as much as possible, to protect them from contracting the virus. But we can’t keep them inside at all times. How can we ensure our kids’ safety when we have to go out? Of course, governments all around the world say it’s a pretty safe bet to wear a face mask, many making their use compulsory. It’s not all doom and gloom though: now you can make a fashion statement with your own homemade, stylish tie dye masks for kids!
Have you ever thought of a creative way to keep your kids safe and protected when you have to go out? With an unseen enemy, called Covid-19, we are required to wear face masks when going out in public places. But they can be bland and unappealing to kids. They love to find ways to express themselves through what they wear, so how can you make them wear face masks? Worry no more, as this article will teach you how you make fancy tie dye masks for your kids.
How to make tie dye masks for your kids
Tie-dying shouldn’t be hard or stressful if you know what you are doing. Before you start, you should make sure you have everything you need to make this project successful.
What you need:
- Rubber bands
- Paintbrush
- Plastic bin
- Spray bottle
- White face masks
- Dye for tie dye
- Ziplock bags
- Paint cups (optional)
- Art trays (optional)
Prepping ahead
- Before you start making tie dye masks for your kids, you need to decide what style of face mask you want your kids to have. You can also ask your kids to choose what style they want since they’ll be the ones wearing them. You may also watch some tie dye tutorials to help you make a selection.
- Once you have figured out what your kids want, then you can start wrapping the masks with rubber bands. You can ask your kids to participate – you do the twisting of the fabric, while your kids can hand you the rubber bands to help with wrapping the face masks up. Since the masks are small, it shouldn’t take more than 5 minutes to wrap up.
- Before you start the dying process, make sure to spray water on each rubber banded mask. You need to make sure that they are wet before you can proceed.
Tie-dying the face masks
Face masks are much smaller and quicker to make compared to t-shirts. And because they’re smaller, it’s easier to use a paintbrush for tie-dying instead of using bottles of dye and squirting them all over. Paintbrushes make it a lot easier for kids to only dye where they want. Here’s how you should start the tie-dying process:
- Set up the die. The first step is to put your die in small containers and give your kids a paintbrush. You can use any type of dye as long as you can easily mix it with water and shake it. This step is simple and should be easy for kids to control compared to when using a squeeze bottle.
- Pick a color. Let your kids pick one color to work with at a time so you can avoid them from mixing the colors. Paint one section at a time. To make it easier for your kids, let them use small brushes. If you’re worried about dyed fingers, you can let your kids wear plastic gloves.
- Don’t forget to rinse. Have your kids wash their paintbrush in water between each color. This step ensures that the colors won’t mix. Don’t forget to paint the mask straps, too. And for better results, remind your kids to pay attention to white spots. Have them add more paint to their brushes if no paint is coming off onto the fabric. During this step, make sure that your kids keep the dye and painted face masks on their art trays. You can also cover your table using a tablecloth so you can protect the surface.
- Let the face masks soak. This step is where you can finally spray the tie-dyed masks with water one more time. Place them in a ziplock bag and let them sit for 6 to 8 hours. If you want, you can let them sit overnight. Wrap each tie-dyed mask separately so the colors will not mix or drip on each other. The longer the dye sets, the darker the colors will be.
- Rinse the face masks. Once the dyed face masks have set for 6 to 8 hours, you can already remove them from the ziplock bags. Remove the rubber bands or cut them off, and then risk out the masks in the sink under cold water. Do this until no more dye is dripping out and when the water is already clear.
- Wash the face masks and set the colors. After rinsing them, wash each mask separately so you can avoid mixing the colors or dyeing the other clothes in your washing machine. You can run your washing machine on low (cold) on the handwashing setting, with a very small amount of detergent. You can also soak your tie dye masks in equal parts of cold water and white vinegar for thirty minutes after rinsing the dye. The vinegar is very helpful when it comes to colorfastness.
- Dry the face masks. Once you’re already done washing the face masks, put them in the dryer, and they should be ready to use. Your kids will surely love it when the dryer shrinks the masks a little bit. This will make them fit even better
Tie dye masks are a sure way to get your kids excited about wearing face masks in public places. If you haven’t tried this project with your kids yet, then perhaps you should start now, and share your thoughts with us below!
