Guest Artists : Chris Naulis : 17 , Chigozie Okeke : 17 , Misha Carrick : 15 , Alejandra Ramirez : 17

You don ’ t know what will happen so there is no fear of doing it wrong . It does involve making artistic decisions … like how much to spray , what happens when the colors overlap and knowing when to stop .

Tie-dye represents freedom of expression . It can also be a lesson in learning how to trust yourself . It is really therapeutic and a great way to offer yourself the chance to be proud of something you ’ ve made and to have an attachment to . Most of all it is FUN !

I recruited four Christopher High students to each create a shirt using stick-on lettering and numbers and spray fabric dye . The time from start to finish took an hour ( not including set up and clean up ).

Make sure you work in a well-ventilated area . Outside is best ; however , wear a mask and rubber gloves . This project is great for older kids , but you can easily do it with young children if you have an adult present to help . I worked with my 7-yearold grandson and 9-year-old granddaughter , monitoring them when they sprayed .

Think of all the shirts you can make . For example , a shirt with your graduation year … Class of 2023 , a favorite team — the possibilities are endless . So many shirts right now say “ Vacation ,” “ Summer Vibes ” etc . Whatever your statement , you can make and wear it proudly .

Photo # 1 : ( RIGHT ) SUPPLIES NEEDED -

• Protective cover for work area

• Spray Fabric Dye

• White cotton tee shirt

• Stick on letters & numbers

• Masking tape

• Cardboard to insert into tee shirt

• Rubber gloves

• Mask

• Iron & kitchen foil to set color when finished .

Photo # 2 : ( LEFT ) Alejandra tapes back of shirt to hold cardboard inside shirt .

Misha ( left ) puts down a line of tape as a guide to keep letters straight on front of her shirt .

This line of tape will be removed prior to spraying .

80 SUMMER 2023 gmhTODAY Magazine : Go . Make history ... gmhtoday . com