How to Make a Candy Corn Tie-Dye Shirts
Do you like to wear matching family shirts while pumpkin picking or going somewhere special?
These perfect fall shirts are super easy to make and can be customized with any decal!
Family Fall Fun…
It’s fall! You know what that means….pumpkin spice everything is about to run rampant!
But can we for a second take a step back from pumpkin spice (I know, sacrilege).
Fall is my favorite season hands down. I love the crisp air, cool nights, warm colors, fun decorations; it’s just perfect!
And every year I feel the intrusion that is pumpkin spice invading all the other (and quite frankly, better) aspects of fall.
So this year I decided to block out the over-saturated pumpkin spice, and focus on other fall motifs that often go overlooked.
Candy corn! Ok, so candy corn really isn’t overlooked (it’s like a fall staple). But I think with the introduction of pumpkin spice, candy corn got placed on the bottom shelf.
Sure the candy isn’t that great (my apologies if you’re a huge fan, I am clearly not). But the colors are simple and classic.
I knew these colors would be a timeless representation of my favorite fall things!
I got this idea for a shirt and I couldn’t sleep until I had seen my vision come to life!
I’m not new to tie-dye; in fact, I do tie-dye projects yearly with my family. But if you are brand new to tie-dye, then this is a great project to start out with!
Let me show you how to make them!
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List of Supplies:
Makes: 1 dye set makes 3 kids shirts or two adult shirts. If you are making shirts for the whole family, I suggest 2 bottles of each dye.
Estimated Time: 1 day to complete
Between 30 minutes to 1 hour to presoak your clothing, roughly 20 minutes to prep the shirts, 15-20 minutes to apply the dye, 8 + hours to let shirts sit with dye, 20 minutes to rinse, and dry time.
Sewing skills needed/used: None
Skill Level: Beginner
You will need:
A large pot, bin, or tub depending on how many shirts you are doing.
Yellow dye, I used 2 bottles for 5 shirts
Orange dye, I used 2 bottles for 5 shirts
The clothing you wish to dye
Rubber bands
Gloves
Ziploc bags or alternative brands
Salt or Soda ash
How to dye shirts to look like candy corn….
Step 1:
Prep the shirts.
To do this, I like to presoak my shirts in saltwater or soda ash. You can buy soda ash at most craft stores.
If you want to soak the shirts in saltwater, then I find you need about 1/2 cup per gallon.
There are some sources that suggest 1/2 cup per cup of water. I find this to be slightly obnoxious, but I assume it has to do with how the fiber absorbs the color, i.e. more concentrated salt water equals more vibrant color retention.
I have never had any issues with my tie-dyes. However, if you want really vibrant colors, I suggest using soda ash to ensure your fibers retain the vibrant dye.
This is a very important step!
DO NOT SKIP PRESOAKING!
Step 2:
Remove shirts from presoaking, squeeze out excess water, fold /scrunch shirts in the desired pattern, and secure with rubber bands.
To do this, I laid my shirt flat on the table and, starting from the left side, proceeded to work the shirt in small wrinkles evenly across to the right side (see images below). Then, I secured the shirt with rubber bands.
Step 3:
Apply the dye, creating three sections. Then, bag the shirts up and sit for at least 8 hours.
To do this, I started with the orange dye. I applied it to the middle of the t-shirt before applying yellow dye to the bottom.
Since orange is the boldest color, I wanted to apply this dye first. I applied the dye very carefully to ensure it only stayed in the middle.
Once the front of the shirt was done, I turned it over and repeated the process.
Step 4:
After the shirt has sat for at least 8 hours, rinse thoroughly and dry.
To do this, I rinse (using cold water), wring the water out of the shirt, and repeat until the water runs clear.
Then, I lay them flat on an old towel I don’t mind getting dye on.
I let them sit for about ten minutes and then repeat the rinsing process. I find the dye still wants to bleed even though it has been rinsed. This is optional for you, but I find it yields a cleaner look, especially when white fabric is involved.
After the second rinse, I run the clothes through a rinse cycle in my washing machine. ***I add a bit of vinegar to the machine to help maintain the colors. Again, this is optional.
Finally, I put the shirts in the dryer to dry. Alternatively, you can lay them flat to air dry. I’m just slightly impatient!
That’s it!
Your Candy Corn Tie-Dye Shirts are completed!
If you wish to use the same decal as I did, a digital download is available for purchase at my Etsy shop.
Note: you will need software that can edit SVG files and a cutting machine.
Hot Tips
Vinegar is said to help retain vibrant colors. Some DIY dyers suggest soaking rinsed shirts in a vinegar/water bath before drying to maintain color saturation.
Wash the clothes separately for the first few washes. If you follow my rinse, repeat, machine rinse, and dry process this will eliminate the need for several separate washes.
The clothing will fade with the first few washes.
I have found that soda ash helps the fibers of a garment to really open and accept dye.
This process works best with cotton garments.
Use items you don’t mind staining. The dye will color what it comes in contact with.
If you are using a special garment, test the dye out before you apply it to your clothes. Once you dye it, you cannot undo it!
Final Thoughts…
As I mentioned earlier, I loved making these shirts! I can’t wait to wear them on our pumpkin-picking adventures!
This project is extremely kid-friendly and is a great weekend craft to try with the whole family! My kids love when I bring home tie-dye!
I’m sure this would be a hit with your family as well!
If you try this project out, make sure to use the hashtag #darkkfluridesigns so I can see your creations!
I really hope you enjoyed this make! If you did please consider subscribing to my newsletter, so you never miss a new project!
Until next time, happy crafting!
