How to Tie Dye Pajamas

‘Tis the season for all things cozy — holiday movies on the couch, hot cocoa & warm cookies, and lazying around in your favorite jammies. Since you’re reading this blog post, the pajamas of your dreams are likely to be tie dye, so we’re here to help you DIY them!

Whether you’re looking for a festive design to rock all December long, or want to make some stylish PJs to wear year-round, this post has you covered. We’ll be showing you three pajama-perfect patterns:

• Sweater [NEW!]
• Striped
• Scrunched

Let’s DYE-ve in!

HOW TO TIE DYE PAJAMAS

YOU’LL NEED:

• 100% cotton dyeable pajamas
• Tulip® One-Step Tie Dye® Refill packs* or dye of your choice
• Squeeze bottles*
• Rubber bands*
• Large tie dye rack
• Plastic wrap or large ziplock bags
• Water
• Paper towels
• Plus tie dye protective gear: gloves, apron & plastic table covering*

*Item is included in our Tie Dye Starter Kit!

“SWEATER” TIE DYE PATTERN

We developed this sweater tie dye pattern to mimic the look of a traditional Fair Isle sweater. This pattern is perfect for making pajamas for the whole family! You can also use the neckline technique on a 100% cotton sweatshirt to DIY your own tie dye holiday “sweater”!

Start by dampening your pajamas in water. Fold the pajama shirt in half, matching up the edges of the collar, shirt sides, and bottom hem.

Next, accordion fold the collar of the shirt, following the curve of the seam. Secure the accordion-folded section with a few rubberbands, spacing them out 1/2 – 1 inch.

Accordion fold the sleeves of the shirt as well and secure with 2 rubber bands the same way. Do the same with the ankles of the pajama pants.

Place pajamas onto tie dye racks or a few layers of paper towel, separating the rubber-banded parts from the rest of the pajamas.

Add your sweater accent dye color in between the rubber-banded sections, as well as slightly outside of them. Be sure to dye the backs of those sections as well and give the dyed fabric a gentle squeeze to help the dye permeate.

Dye the rest of the pajamas to your liking. You can either scrunch them and secure with rubber bands (see Scrunch pattern instructions below) or you can simply arrange your pajamas in a loose, un-banded scrunch and add dye to your liking. We used two colors here — Red & Fuchsia — for a monochromatic look. Carefully flip over the dyed pajamas and dye the back as well.

Carefully place the dyed pajamas in a large ziplock bag or cover with plastic wrap.

PRO TIP: Be careful to keep the sweater dyed details away from the rest of the pajamas so you don’t end up with unwanted color spots.

Let dyed PJs sit for 6-24 hours. Wash, rinse & dry according to our instructions here!

STRIPED TIE DYE PATTERN

Start by dampening your pajamas in water. Fold the pajama shirt in half, matching up the edges of the collar, shirt sides, and bottom hem.

Accordion fold the top half of the pajama shirt keeping each folded section pretty narrow (2-2.5 inches), and consistent in size.

To fold in the sleeve, line up the outer edge of the sleeve with the outer folds of the shirt, then fold the inner edge over so it lays on top of the rest of the accordion fold.

Flip the shirt to the other side and repeat until your entire shirt has been folded. Your shirt should end up long and skinny.

Rubberband the shirt to keep the accordion folds in place, spacing rubber bands a few inches apart. These sections will result in horizontal stripes, so you can try to keep the distance between the rubber bands consistent (even stripes), or play with the stripe sizes!

Repeat the same process with the pajama pants, accordion folding them so they’re long and skinny.

Add rubber bands to the pajama pants spacing them out the same distance as on the shirt.

Dye pajamas on a tie dye rack or a few layers of paper towel. Add color to each rubber-banded section in whatever pattern you like! Be sure to flip the pajamas and dye the undersides as well.

Once dyed, give each section a little squeeze to help the dye permeate the fabric, which will result in more solid stripes and fewer unwanted blank patches.

Carefully place the dyed pajamas in a large ziplock bag or cover with plastic wrap. Try to avoid the different color sections from touching each other so you don’t end up with unwanted color spots.

Let dyed PJs sit for 6-24 hours. Wash, rinse & dry according to our instructions here!

SCRUNCH TIE DYE PATTERN

The third and most beginner-friendly tie dye pattern for pajamas is our fool-proof go-to: Scrunch! Simply scrunch up your damped pajamas by pushing the fabric together, secure the scrunches with rubber bands, and add whatever colors you like to the front and back of the fabric. For more detailed instructions on how to tie dye scrunch pattern, visit our tutorial here!

Carefully place the dyed pajamas in a large ziplock bag or cover with plastic wrap. Let dyed PJs sit for 6-24 hours. Wash, rinse & dry according to our instructions here!

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We hope these tutorials inspire you to make some sweet tie dyed jammies for yourself and maybe your whole family too! Be sure to add us to your family holiday card mailing list if your jammies make the dress code cut. 😉 Or simply tag us on IG @theneonteaparty, no matter when or for whom you make them!

Wishing you a colorful and joyful (and comfy) holiday season!

Peace, love & neon,
TeamNTP