High Tied Dyes
By Emma Woodham, @TheEmmaWoodham
When was the last time you did something that made you feel like a kid? The last time you worked on a project that didn’t have to look perfect when you finished? If you ask me, nothing captures the spirit of childhood summers better than tie-dying t-shirts with friends, and the small group that gathered on a humid Charleston night to create multicolored masterpieces with High Tied Dyes was no exception. Something about twisting a clean, white shirt or apron, securing it with rubber bands, and then drenching it in different colors of dye evokes memories of days spent at summer camp or vacation bible school.
For our adult tie-dye party, Caitlin, the owner of High Tied Dyes, provided everyone with aprons and taught us three simple patterns design styles: spiral, scrunch, and bullseye. Once we had swirled and rolled our aprons into the patterns we chose, it was time to pick our colors. Caitlin wisely had charts printed so that we didn’t all end up with brown aprons. Red, yellow, blue, green—Caitlin provided every color of the rainbow. In fact, she actually showed us to make rainbows with the colors.
As we worked, Caitlin shared with us all the different patterns and designs she has created and all the different types of clothing she has tie-dyed. As she walked around, encouraging each one of us and complimenting our designs and color choices, Caitlin was modeling a bleached tie-dye jumpsuit that she made herself.
Between dying aprons, yoga pants, dog bandanas, and sweatshirts, we snacked on two beautifully curated charcuterie boards from CHS Charcuterie and sipped wines from Sea Salt Wines. And when we all left that night, we took home our Ziploc bags with our masterpieces inside. Caitlin left us with strict instructions to let them sit for twelve to twenty-four hours before we washed them.
Something about tie-dying clothes with absolutely no rules, especially when our everyday lives are currently filled with so many rules, was truly freeing and satisfying. And for just a little while, I felt like a kid again.
Head to HighTiedDyes.com to book a private tie dye party, or visit Caitlin’s online shop home to tons of tie dye masterpieces for sale like rompers, aprons, dresses, t’s, tanks, yoga pants and more. See below for some of our creations from the evening!
As part of our TastemakersCHS Charity Partnership Program, for every event with High Tied Dyes booked in September, 5 tie dye pillowcases will be donated to the MUSC Shawn Jenkins Children’s Hospital. For every item purchased on the High Tied Dyes website in September, one pillowcase will be donated.
