Rainbow Tie-Dye Shoes

How to make tie-dye shoes

DIY Rainbow Tie-Dye Shoes

A few weeks ago, when the weather was still agreeable, we spent an entire day tie-dyeing everything in sight. The kids had never tie-dyed and in homage to my 90s childhood I needed to remedy that asap. We picked up a pack of white t-shirts, white canvas shoes, and tote bags to work with. The kids loved this activity! Today I’m sharing the rainbow tie-dye shoes I made.

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Not having used tie-dye since I was a kid I had forgotten how messy it is. I highly recommend wearing old clothes, durable gloves, and a disposable tablecloth for easy cleanup. Despite wearing gloves, our fingers were stained for a good day or two afterwards.

How to tie-dye shoes

Supplies:
Tie-Dye Kit – comes with everything you need including gloves and a tablecloth
White canvas shoes – We picked a pair from Target & Michaels
Painters Tape – optional but highly recommended

Step one: tape of the sections of shoes you don’t want to tie-dye. I missed an area with the tape and had trouble cleaning it off afterwards. (sorry about the different shoes shown in the tutorial pictures, we made a couple pairs and I photographed the wrong ones haha!). :)

Step two: prepare tie-dye according to instructions. Make sure you mix the water and dye well to avoid small clumps of dye on your projects.

Step three: work slowly in sections and lightly pour the dye onto your shoes. I worked from the front of the shoe to the back. Don’t pour excessive amounts of dye – the colors will start to run together if you do. Another method is to use a foam brush and cup to “paint” the shoes.

Step four: Once the shoes are completely dyed place in a plastic bag. Allow shoes to dry overnight. We washed all of our tie-dye projects together, including the shoes, in the washer. I allowed the shoes to air-dry for 24 hours before using.