We had our first almost unbearably-hot day of the summer this Thursday (followed by not one, but two days of similar temps) so I thought... Why not dig out the TIE DYE kit? The liquids still looked relatively usable but the red was a little clumpy. Speaking from experience, I was ultra diligent with making sure the dye got in every crease of the shirt in hopes of a saturated and white-free result. I also put down a garbage bag on the deck, and wore gloves of course.
I wasn't sure how it would turn out, because the only white shirt I could find had printing on it (throwback to competitive dance days, the shirt won't be so "oversized" on me now, surely). I flipped it inside out, and as you can see below - there's almost no sign of the images & text. After the shirt was thoroughly soaked, I put it in a plastic bag and left it outside for the afternoon, then brought it inside to sit another 14 hours or so. I was reminded of how hard it is to be patient for things as trivial as tie dye... Perhaps it's because the past few months I haven't been treating myself to such arts & crafts projects that I've always adored.
Other than eagerly unwrapping my masterpiece (which I'll continue talking about in a second), our Friday consisted of dropping Cheeky off at the vet in the morning, and picking her up in the sweltering heat of the afternoon. Sixteen stitches and several awkward shaven patches later, we got her back... The poor thing was certifiably disoriented and hyper after a couple hours of (induced) sleep. "Don't be alarmed if she doesn't have an appetite, or isn't thirsty for a while" the veterinarian assured us, but as soon as we managed to carry her to her water bowl, it was empty in 60 seconds flat. Her half-portion dinner: inhaled (as per usual). We have put up barricades to lock her into the kitchen for the next 2 weeks or so, as stairs are forbidden. The last bit of the process worth mentioning thus far is the codeine she was prescribed. I don't know that it does much to really ease her pain, or calm her down. One can hope. Needless to say, by the end of the day we had both approached complete exhaustion and some tears were shed. We worried that she'd scratch or roll or wander overnight, but luckily the only evidence of such was the t-shirt we had put on her before bed... Laying on the floor beside her this morning.
Alas, here is the finished product. Now don't be fooled - it is not nearly as vibrant as the sunny day photo may suggest, but it is still pretty cute! I have been seeing a lot of tie dye in fashion these days - no, I don't keep up with trends, but we have been doing a slightly problematic amount of online shopping the past couple weeks.
Despite its reminiscence of summer-camp attire, I will always love the bright, happy swirls for the warmer months. I'm almost tempted to deck myself out in friendship bracelets and wear Birkenstocks...
Peace out,
Claire