How To Tie-Dye Your Shoes
Ways To Tie-Dye Your Shoes
Tie-dye has been around for decades and it seems to come in and out of style with amazing regularity. One of the reasons why tie-dye is so popular is the uniqueness of every piece. It’s not difficult to transform a boring item of clothing into a one of a kind masterpieces.
While t-shirts, jackets, and pants have so far been the more popular clothing items to receive the tie-dye treatment, you can also turn a boring pair of shoes into something eye-catching as well. Here are a few ways you can tie-dye those dull looking shoes and step out in style.
Prepare Your Shoes
Before you start creating your unique pair of shoes, you need to do a little bit of prep work. Begin by choosing the shoes you want to transform. White sneakers are usually the easiest ones to start with as they are basically a blank canvas. If you plan on tie-dyeing new shoes, half your work is done. However, if you want to vamp up an old pair of shoes, you need to clean them and let them dry completely first.
Once your shoes are clean and dry, remove the laces and protect any areas you don’t want to color. Using masking tape to cover the soles, logos, and any other areas that you want to leave white. Finally, stuff cloth or bubble wrap into the shoes so they keep their shape while you work.
Different Tie-Dye Methods
We know that to tie-dye clothing; you need to bunch up the clothes and so that the dye only seeps into certain areas. This is a little difficult with shoes as they can’t be bunched up as a t-shirt can. There are quite a few different methods you can use and still get the tie-dye effect on your shoes.
Shaving Cream and Food Coloring – Some of the best DIY projects involve using things you usually have around the house anyway. One of the simplest ways to tie-dye your shoes is with shaving cream, food coloring, and a baking tray. Fill the tray with shaving cream and add blobs of food coloring across the top. You can then use a knife or a spatula to swirl the food coloring into any pattern you like. Take your shoes and roll them into this tray of colored foam and when they are sufficiently colored, take them out and leave them aside for about 15 minutes then scrape or wipe off the excess shaving cream. Let your shoes dry completely and wipe off any residual foam.
Sharpies and Rubbing Alcohol – This method may take a little extra time, but you can really get creative with your patterns. Grab a few sharpies in different colors and scribble your swirls, patterns, and other designs on the cloth areas of your shoes. Once you’re happy with your handiwork, blot your artwork with running alcohol. This will give you the tie-dye effect. Let your shoes dry and you’re done.
Brushes or Sponges – Fabric dye is readily available and your color palette can be as simple or as intricate as you like. Simply follow the instructions on the dye packaging so the solution is just right. Using a paintbrush or a sponge, add the colors to your shoes in any pattern or design that you like. Once you’ve covered all the areas you want in color, let your shoes air dry completely.
Hydro-Dipping – Hydro-dipping is one method of tie-dying your shoes that can have the most dramatic look and the possibilities are endless as spray paint is available in vibrant colors and effects such as metallic colors and pearly shades. It’s a little messy but well worth the effort to get a pair of shoes that are truly unique. You’ll need a large container of water such as a basin or a large plastic box. It needs to be wide and deep enough for you to completely submerge the tops of your shoes into the water.
Next, grab a few cans of spray paint and spray the different colors over the surface of the water. Once you have a color combination and patterns that you like, take your shoes by the soles and dip the entire upper surface of your shoes into the water. As your shoes enter the water, the spray paint will adhere to the exposed areas. Remove your shoe from the water and repeat with the other shoe. All that is left to do is to let them dry completely before you can wear them.
To Finish Off
Some of these tie-dye methods for shoes simply require drying, but others may involve giving the shoes a thorough cleaning when you are done to avoid the dye tainting your feet when you wear your footwear originals.
You are now ready to step out in your unique new shoes.
