Celebrate every colour of the rainbow with tie dye! This fun, easy craft is a brilliant way of upcycling your own items and giving them a new lease of life.
When you think of tie dyeing, the most common thing that comes to mind is t-shirts, but in reality, there’s so much more to discover. From homewares to accessories, tie dyeing can be used to bring colour to just about anything.
We’ve collected 24 things to tie dye to help inspire and excite you. The possibilities really are endless when it comes to tie dyeing!
24 fun things to tie dye!
1. Bedding
Tie dye is a brilliant way of upcycling old bedding. White and cream bedding often gets stained over time but colourful tie dye can give it a much-needed refresh!
This project from issue 113 of Mollie shows you how to upcycle old bedding with natural ingredients. You can buy a digital copy of the issue here for the tutorial.
Modern Tie Dye by Abi Patten
If you’re looking for even more things to tie dye then we’d recommend Modern Tie Dye by Abi Patten. Abi’s book is full of useful tips, tricks and tie-dye things that will leave you feeling creative.
Abi focuses on eco-friendly ways of tie-dyeing; using natural materials to create vivid designs. It’s perfect for beginners and expert dyers alike as it features a huge range of techniques. It’s the perfect bedtime read for those of you looking for things to tie dye.
2. Scrunchies
Add a pop of tie dye to your outfit by accessorising with a scrunchie! Scrunchies are really easy to tie dye and the dyeing method is the same as clothing. Experiment with colour combinations and make some to match your other tie dye pieces!
Gluesticks show you how to tie dye your scrunchies over on their blog. They have both written and video instructions, making it the perfect beginner-friendly project.
3. Facemasks
Practical and pretty; face masks are ideal for tie dyeing! Most reusable face masks are suitable for dyeing, especially white cotton ones.
If you don’t own a reusable face mask don’t worry! Just follow our how to make a face mask tutorial and sew your own. Then head over to 5 Little Monster’s blog to learn how to tie dye them.
4. Pet beds!
Everyone loves tie dye – even pets! Make your canine and feline friends their own tie dye space with Tie Dye Your Summer’s tutorial. Not only will this bed look fab but it’ll hide mucky paw prints and pet hairs.
For those of you who don’t already own a pet bed, we have you covered. Head over to our how to make a dog bed tutorial. Just make sure you use a plain, dye-absorbent material for the fabric.
5. Tableware
When it comes to your dining room there are multiple things you can tie dye. Tie dye the table runner, chair cushions and even the napkins. You could make the tie dye seasonal, using red and greens for Christmas and pastels for Easter.
Caroline South’s tutorial shows you how to tie dye your own napkins in an eco-friendly way. She uses all-natural ingredients to create the colours and just look at the results! Beautiful.
6. Hankies
Transform hankies from gross to great with tie dye. Plain cotton hankies can be turned into rainbow masterpieces in a few simple steps.
Use your normal tie dye method and experiment with different patterns. Browse our collection of tie dye patterns to create your own unique design.
7. Baby clothes
Tie dye your own funky babygrows with Pretty Life Girls’ tutorial. This adorable tutorial shows you how to turn avocado stones into this baby pink dye. Now your little one can look as cool as you!
The Modern Natural Dyer book
For those of you who are interested in the world of natural dyeing we’d recommend Kristine Vejar’s book. The Modern Natural Dyer is a complete guide to wild dyeing and includes 20 things to tie dye from around the home. It’s a fantastic addition to your bookshelf and will show you the brilliance of dyes created from nature.
8. Tea towels
Add a pop of colour to your kitchen by tie dyeing your tea towels. Iris Nacole shows you how to make this incredible yellow tea towel in a classic Shibori style. You could also tie dye napkins or a table runner to make a matching set.
9. Scarves
Wear your tie dye with pride by making your own shibori scarf. Our complete guide to shibori talks you through all the basics of this technique as well as teaches you how to make this scarf. The neon tassels add a fun touch too.
10. Curtains and cushions
Give drab curtains and throw cushions a new lease of life with tie dye. Tie dye is a great way to inject some colour into your home without having to buy expensive pieces.
In our how to ice dye tutorial we show you how to transform a plain cushion cover. The ice dyeing creates a gorgeous mottled effect.
11. Old tote bags
Tote bags often get scuffed and stained while you’re out and about. Why not give them a fresh look by tie dyeing them? It will save your tote from landfill and stop you from buying plastic bags when shopping. It’s an eco-friendly win-win!
Follow The Sweetest Occasions blog post and make your own dip-dye tote bags. These bright bags will become your summer staple.
Looking for more tie dye fun?
Find more things to tie dye in our round-up of the best tie dye kits.
12. Socks
Tie dye socks, Converse and a demin jacket – the ultimate 90s outfit. Recreate your 90’s wardrobe with Sarah Maker’s tutorial where she shows you the easy way to tie dye socks.
These socks would also make a fab gift for your friends who grew up in the 90s. There’s nothing quite like a nostalgia hit!
13. Tie dye soap
This tie dye soap tutorial from One Crazy Mum is truly unique. They show you how to create this hippie peace-loving soap with a few ingredients.
Not only is the tie dye appearance customisable but so is the scent. Make your tie dye soap in your favourite scent and pop it in a Christmas stocking for a fresh surprise!
14. Nightgowns
Silk nightgowns, dresses or pyjamas are wonderful to tie dye. Silk is one of the most absorbent materials, so your tie dye colour will sink nicely into the fabric.
Honestly WTF shows you exactly how brilliant this fabric is with her tissue paper tie dye dress. Her finished dress looks like a designer piece and you’d never know it was dyed using humble tissue paper!
15. Apron
We’ve already mentioned plenty of homeware things to tie dye but there’s a host of practical clothing items you can dye too. Transform your plain kitchen apron into a swirling beauty with tie dye.
Linen and cotton aprons will work best when tie dyeing. The Pretty Life Girls show you how to upcycle an old apron with tie dyeing on their blog.
16. Headbands
Alice bands, bandanas, hair scarves – all these hair accessories are things you can tie dye. The Pretty Life Girls have a blog full of tie dye ideas including these lovely hair bands. May your hair never get in your eyes again!
17. Beach towels
Handmade Charlotte is the queen of finding things to tie dye. She has a collection of incredible tie dyed items including these beach towels. The vivid sunset colours scream summer holiday!
If you don’t want to use these towels for the beach, they’d also make fab picnic blankets. Or you could use them to dry off wet pets, wipe up spills or to cover your surfaces while you’re crafting.
18. Shoes
From white sneakers to white slip-ons, tie dye can add extra magic to your everyday shoes. Tie dye shoes will add a splash of colour to any outfit and make you smile every time you look down.
Tie Dye Your Summer has created a really handy video tutorial showing you how to tie dye shoes. It’s easier than you think!
19. Bunting
DIY your own party decorations by making tie dye bunting. Simply sew some scrap fabrics (you could use old bedding or clothing) and tie dye them in fun colours. Then add them to some string or ribbon and ta-dah! Homemade, cost-effective party decor.
If you’re unsure where to start, Handmade Charlotte has a simple tutorial to help you out.
20. Old pencil cases
Create a funky home for all your pens, pencils and highlighters by tie dyeing a pencil pouch. You can find cheap pencil pouches in most pound shops and supermarkets and they’re really simple to tie dye.
You can follow Nadel & Gabel’s blog post to learn how to shibori dye your own travel pouches.
21. Makeup pouch
If you have tie dyed your pencil pouches then why not tie dye your makeup bags too? It’s an ideal way to keep your makeup organised and looking cute.
You can follow Paper & Stitch’s blog post to learn how to tie dye cloth bags which you could use to hold makeup brushes, skincare products and more.
22. Jean Jacket
Bleach tie dye = a funky jacket to wear all summer long. One Craft DIY girl shows you how to take this everyday household item and use it to make cool tie dye designs. Who knew bleach could create a fashionable item?
23. Dog bandana
Help your pet to look as trendy as you by making them a tie dye bandana. How cute do Wear Wag Repeat’s dogs look?
Sew your own with our how to make a dog bandana tutorial but make sure you use a piece of plain, dyeable fabric. Then you can go wild with colour!
24. T-shirts
Last but not least is the traditional t-shirt. These are the most popular items to dye and for a good reason.
We show you how to tie dye a shirt in our tutorial. We used a standard cotton t-shirt but you could experiment with different cuts and styles of shirts to create a rainbow wardrobe.
Bring colour into your life with tie dye
Tie dyeing homeware, clothing and accessories is a great way of introducing colour into your life. Not only does it look amazing but it’s perfect for upcycling unwanted items and covering stains and spills.
You really can tie dye just about anything – the only limit is your imagination! Once you’ve started tie dyeing, you’ll never look back.
Discover more tie dye inspiration with Gathered
We could talk about tie dyeing all day! Head over to our complete guide to tie dye to learn all about this amazing craft.
