Tie Dyed Pittsburgh Steelers Sweatshirt

My husband has always been a Pittsburgh Steelers fan. I decided to make him and our son a Tie Dyed Pittsburgh Steelers Sweatshirt after making tie dyed sweatsuits for myself, three of our daughters, and our dog (I made our morkie a onesie) back in April. At the time, my husband looked at us in our sweatsuits and jokingly said, “I don’t feel like I’m part of the team.” Even though he probably wasn’t serious, I took what he said to heart and ordered a few more sweatshirts. I have one in the making for our oldest daughter who lives away from home. I also ordered sweatpants to match my shirt, then jazzed up my whole suit with a painted design. I plan to post that project next week.

Although it doesn’t snow very often in the South Carolina Lowcountry, my family will be ready in style for the cold, just like the Proverbs 31 woman’s household. Everyone except my cat will own a tie dyed sweatsuit item this winter.

She is not afraid of the snow for her household,
For all her household are clothed with scarlet. Proverbs 31:21 NASB

Materials for Tie Dyed Pittsburgh Steelers Sweatshirt:

• white sweatshirt
• thick rubber bands
• Rit Dye- Yellow and Graphite
• 2 cups of salt
• printable Pittsburgh Steelers Emblem (feel free to use mine and adjust for size)
• ink pen
• straight pins
• scissors
• Apple Barrel paints-20471E Bright Yellow, 20401E Bright Red, 20411E Cobalt Hue, 20409E Black, 20403E White
• paint brushes- 44278 Plaid Flat, 5/0 50600 Plaid Spotter
• Delta Textile Medium

Instructions:

There are several ways you can tie dye fabric. I’ve combined most of those ways in this project. You can dye fabric in the washing machine, in a pot on the stove, or with a pour over method (like you might see on TikTok). I dyed the sweatshirts with Yellow in my washing machine first. Before you start dyeing you have to tie or band your garment. The part that isn’t banded will absorb the dye. You can band garments in a linear fashion, which gives the item a lined look.

Making small ponytail bunches all over the sweatshirt create circular dye patterns:

I rolled up my sweatshirts in the linear fashion first, then banded them. Next, I made little ponytails all over the garments with the rubber bands. I placed the banded sweatshirts in the washer, filled it with hot water, added 1/2 bottle of Yellow Rit Dye and 1 cup of salt. The end result looked like this:

After the first wash cycle, I left the banded sweatshirts in the bottom of the empty washing machine, added a cup of salt, then poured half a bottle of Graphite Rit Dye on top. I filled the washer with hot water and started the wash cycle. I was very happy with the results.

Don’t foget to wash and dry the dyed clothing before embellishing with paint.

Painting Instructions for the Pittsburgh Steeler Emblem:

Fold the sweatshirt in half. Make sure you line up the shoulders and collar evenly. Place a straight pin marking the center just below the collar. Print the Pittsburgh Steeler emblem and cut it into seperate pieces. Fold the emblem circle in half to find its center. Align the centers of the diamonds and circle with the centered pin beneath the collar. Pin all elements with straight pins. Trace with a pen.

Time to paint! Fill in the basic elements with the flat brush and Bright Yellow, Bright Red, Cobalt Blue, Black, and a few drops of textile medium. It’s like filling in the lines of a coloring book using a paint brush instead of a crayon. Paint around the Black circle with Bright Yellow and the spotter brush. Dry with a blow dryer.

Jazz up the basic design with the flat brush and swishes of Cobalt Blue, Bright Yellow, and Bright Red. Paint Bright red swirlies with the spotter brush and Bright Red.

Paint a few swipes of Bright Yellow mixed with White to the left of the diamonds. Paint STEELERS in all caps with Black and the spotter brush. Painting letters is an advanced skill. For beginners, I suggest writing them in with pencil first, while looking at the letter pattern on the printed Pittsburgh Steeler emblem. You can erase and redo as many times as you want. You could also choose an easier font.

*Special Tip- Correct any painted Black lettering mishaps by painting over them with the Bright Yellow background color.

When the lettering is complete paint Bright Yellow, Cobalt Blue, and Bright Red streaks around the letters with the spotter brush.

You’re all done! I hope you enjoyed my Tie Dyed Pittsburgh Steeler Sweatshirt tutorial!

Blessings,

Kristie

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