Tie Dye Apron Pattern Ideas

It’s (finally) summertime, which can only mean one thing here at TNTP— it’s tie dye season!!!! This year’s easy tie dye pattern obsession? The tie dye apron!

This is a great summer project because these aprons work as a cooking or crafting apron alike! Spoiler alert: A tie apron is the perfect Father’s Day gift for kids to make their dads and grandpas this year! Bonus points for dying up a matching set! 😍

Though any tie dye pattern will work beautifully when making a tie dye apron, we’ve cooked up a few new simple but stylish patterns that we think you’ll love!

YOU’LL NEED:

• 100% cotton Dyeable Apron
• Tulip® One-Step Tie-Dye® refills*
• 4oz dye bottles*
• Rubber bands*
• 1.25ml tie dye powder scoop* or 1/4 tbsp (for making custom dye colors)
• Rubber gloves*
• Tie dye rack (optional)
• Paper towel
• Water
• Plastic bags

*Item is included in our TNTP Tie Dye Kits!

No matter which tie dye pattern you choose, you’ll want to start by submerging the entire item in water, then squeezing out any excess moisture. The item should be damp, not dripping with water. Dampening the item first will allow the dye to completely saturate the fabric.

Important Note: Because canvas items like dyeable aprons or dyeable tote bags have a natural protective layer to repel moisture, you may need to massage the fabric a bit to ensure that there are no dry patches! You can also wash your apron before tie dyeing it to remove any residue.

Once all of your items have been dampened, put on a pair of gloves and mix the dye according to the package instructions.

Find our complete tie dye prep, wash & care instructions here.

Color Block Tie Dye Tutorial

Tulip One-Step Dye colors pictured: Wine & Coral

With just a single rubber band and two dye colors, you can create a high-impact look with this Color Block Tie Dye Apron tutorial!

Lay the damp apron completely flat. Starting at the bottom, accordion fold the fabric until you reach the top of the apron.

To create an accordion fold, fold up ~1-1.5 inches of fabric. Next, fold the same length of fabric under. You should now have two folds. Repeat this process of folding over, under, over, under, etc.

When you reach the bib section of the apron, you may find it to be a bit easier to fold the top portion of the apron back and forth, matching the width of the previous folds below it.

Once you’ve folding the entire item, wrap a single rubber band in the very center of the bundle. The tighter you wrap the band, the more white (or undyed) fabric you’ll have in the finished product in that area.

Loose rubber band = touching colors, Tight rubber band = white separation.

Place the entire bundle on a tie dye rack or bed of paper towels.

Starting with the lighter of the two colors, completely saturate one half of the item. Don’t forget the straps!

Repeat with the darker color on the other half of the bundle. Be careful not to let the fabric of the two halves touch, as this will transfer the dark color to the lighter side!

Once you’ve saturated the top of the bundle very carefully flip the entire bundle over (continuing to prevent the two sides from touching!), and apply dye to any white areas on the back side.

After all of the dye has been applied, scroll to the Tie Dye Soak, Wash & Care section near the bottom of this this post to learn how to set, rinse, and wash your item.

Horizontal Stripe Tie Dye Tutorial

Tulip One-Step Dye colors pictured: Sunset Dye Bundle

Horizontal Stripes is an easy tie dye pattern to showcase a rainbow of tie dye colors! Use one of our curated tie dye color bundles or go all in with a full rainbow of dye.

Lay the damp apron completely flat, then fold it in half vertically.

Starting with the top layer of fabric only, fold the fabric back on itself ~1-1.5 inches. Repeat the fold in the opposite direction, keeping the same width of fabric for each fold.

Continue this back and forth fold until you reach the edge of the apron. Lay the strap completely flat along the length of the last fold.

Flip the item over completely so that the bottom layer of fabric is now sitting on top. Repeat the folding motions until you have a long skinny bundle.

Use rubber bands to create even sections down the length of the bundle. To create more stripes, add more rubber bands. Each section will result in one stripe.

Place the banded bundle on a tie dye rack or bed of paper towels. Apple one color of dye to each section, working your way from one end to the other.

Once you’ve saturated each section very carefully flip the entire bundle over and apply dye to any white areas on the back side.

After all of the dye has been applied, scroll to the Tie Dye Soak, Wash & Care section near the bottom of this this post to learn how to set, rinse, and wash your item.

Two-Tone Spiral Tie Dye Tutorial

Tulip One-Step Dye colors pictured: Seaglass Dye Bundle

A classic tie dye pattern with an unexpected twist, the Two-Tone Spiral Tie Dye Pattern is a great way to create a high contrast look!

Find step-by-step instructions to create a two-tone spiral tie dye pattern here.

Scrunch Tie Dye Apron Tutorial

Tulip One-Step Dye colors pictured: Pastel Dye Bundle

The scrunch tie dye pattern is a classic for a reason! This pattern is great for a beginner tie dye project, or when tie dying with kids!

Find step-by-step instructions to create a scrunch tie dye pattern here.

Tie Dye Soak, Wash & Care

When you’ve finished dyeing, place each item in a separate ziplock or sealable bag to keep the item moist while the dye sets. Keep the item in the bag for 8-24 hours to absorb the dye. The longer the dye sets, the brighter the colors will be!
Note: If using a different dye than shown in this tutorial, follow the length of time indicated on your dye instructions.

Once your dye has set, throw those gloves back on, and head over to a sink or tub. Remove all rubber bands and rinse each item under warm water, rinsing out excess dye until the water runs nearly clear.

Set your washing machine load to normal, water to warm, and add a small amount of detergent. Dry on low. We recommend washing and drying tie dyed items solo for the first few washes to avoid any color transfer.

Find our complete tie dye wash & care instructions here.

Caught the tie dye bug? Check out all of our tie dye projects here! Feeling inspired? Pin this project to Pinterest!

Be sure to tag us on IG @theneonteaparty! We (literally) do a happy dance when you share your tie dye projects with us!

Leave any questions in the comments below.

Peace, love & neon,
Dorothy