How to make Rainbow Tie Dye Shoes

I've been seeing a lot of super cute tie dye shoes online and on Instagram lately.  I knew that I had to make a pair for a special little girl...my niece Ava.  She's a spunky little girl with a lot of personality, so I think rainbow tie dye shoes are totally perfect for her.  They are not hard at all to make, so let me show you how it's done using Tulip One-Step Tie-Dye!

What you need: 

– Tulip One-Step Tie-Dye Neon Kit

– Pair of white cotton shoes (mine were from Target)

– Spray bottle with water

– Tulip Surface Covers or plastic bags or tablecloths to lay down to do your project on

– Sink, washer, and dryer

First lay out your surface cover and put your shoes on top. Now you'll want to add cold water to your dyes. All you have to do is fill, mix, and shake well!

Next spray the outside of your shoes with a spray bottle of water.  I did this so that I wouldn't soak dye into the striped insides of my shoes (I liked the colorful stripe pattern).

I mentally divided my shoes into 5 sections and started dyeing the first toe section with the fuchsia dye.

I added the next layer of dye (orange) right at the point where the fuchsia dye had stopped.

I continued until I filled in all my canvas areas of the shoe. As you can see, I blended the colors in a natural color order so they looked like a rainbow.

As you can see, the dye got onto the rubber sole.  It's nothing to worry about, because the sole will soak into the rubber.

Wrap your shoes in a plastic bag and let it sit 6-8 hours to let the dye set!  I actually left mine in the bag a whole day.  The longer you let your dye set, the more vibrant the colors will be!  Of course, don't leave them sitting for more than a day...you don't want any mildew action going on. LOL.

After they have set atleast 6-8 hours, wash them

thoroughly in the sink until all the dye is out and the water runs clear.

Pop these beauties into the washing machine (you can put them with other items you tie dyed as well in like colors) using a little laundry detergent. Dry in the dryer or let air dry.

You may want to do a double wash and dry before you actually wear them.  Since your feet can sweat a lot, it may be good to make extra sure you got all the dye out!

And here's how the shoes turned out...

 See those little streaks?  This is what happens when you don't shake the dye enough.  The powder doesn't get mixed all the way.  It's no biggie, to me...they add more character to the shoes!

 Here's how the backs look...

The top.

And the sides.

I also made my niece a cute tie dye dress from a dress I got at Old Navy.  I can't wait to see pictures of her wearing it!!


This is a kid's shoe project, but there is no reason you can't dye a pair of Ked's, Vans, Toms (or knockoff styles) in this same way for you to wear.