Mrs. DeLorbe

Hi, Calvert and 6D!

There is a new comer to the 6th Age wing next year and it happens to be my good friend (and a great teacher!) Mrs. DeLorbe! She will be teaching 6E in the fall, which means we will share a wall. You may remember that Mrs. DeLorbe and I have been co-counselors together for the past two summers at a Calvert camp of our own creation: Darling Dolls.

Mrs. DeLorbe has an excellent blog and is so excited for the fall with her new students. I asked her to guest post on my blog...so- without further adew...here is Mrs. DeLorbe!

xoxo,

Mrs. Armstrong

P.S. Don't forget to check out Mrs. DeLorbe's blog here!

A big thanks to Mrs. Armstrong for letting me be a guest blogger! My name is Mrs. DeLorbe. I will be starting my sixth year teaching at Calvert School in the fall. Some of you know I will be moving to a new classroom, 6-E. Mrs. Armstrong and I are very excited to be neighbors!

I wanted to share with you a fun project that you can do together with your family over the summer.

Each summer, my family travels to Deep Creek Lake. Last summer, we had an idea to make tie-dyed t-shirts using souvenir shirts from our favorite place to go in Deep Creek… The Lakeside Creamery.

We had so much fun working on the shirts together and seeing how everyone’s shirt turned out in the end. Each one was different, just like the people in our family.

Here is how you can make your own tie-dyed shirts.

First, we purchased a tie-dye kit from Michael’s craft store. They cost between $20- $30, depending on how many shirts you want to make. Make sure you sign up for their emails to get a coupon for 40% off one item.

Along with the kit you will need:

· t-shirts

· gallon zip lock bags

· a space to work and hang your shirts to dry

There are many different techniques you can use to fold your shirts.Your kit will come with instructions for the basic designs. Remember, there is no “wrong way” to fold a shirt. My favorite part of tie-dying is never knowing what the shirts will look like in the end. Don’t be afraid to try something different. For this part of the project, there are no rules!

I normally chose to make the “spiral design,” but decided to try something different… “mirror image.”

To make a “mirror image” design, follow these simple steps.

1. Fold the shirt in half, lengthwise

2. Starting at the shoulder, fan fold the shirt, making 1” pleats

3. Continue working your way down the shirt

4. Begin adding rubber bands to hold the pleats in place

5. Continue adding rubber bands until you have worked your way down the entire shirt

Now it is time to prepare the dye. For the best results, don’t add water to the dyes until you are ready to use them. Read all the directions on the package before you begin. I have found that working with a wet shirt works much better than a dry shirt.

When you finish adding dye to your shirt, place it in a zip lock bag and close it up. Leave your shirt in the bag for at least 12 hours, preferably 24 hours.

Next, use warm water to rinse your shirt. Once the water starts to turn clear remove the rubber bands and continue rinsing. Finally, hang your shirt to dry.

Wash your shirt a few times alone in the washer, using the hottest water setting.

Have a great summer!