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Tie Dyeing Canvas Sneakers! Please Help! =)

Hello, I saw another post about someone wondering if they can sye canvas sneakers. I am also here with the same question. Some people replyed to the other posting and said "yes" that they have done it. But Im asking how?? If anyone knows, it would be GREALTY appreciated! =)

By aallred at 2007-02-07 13:36 | Tie dyeing | login or register to post comments | previous forum topic | next forum topic

How to Dye Shoes

  1. Test your shoes by dropping a few drops of water on them. If the water beads up, don't dye them. If the water soaks in, they're fine, as long as they are made of a natural fiber. Get some cotton or linen or hemp shoes that do not resist water. If the insoles remove easily, remove them until after you are finished dyeing. Same with the laces. Buy cotton laces from Dharma if you want to dye them; your shoes probably came with synthetic laces that will not dye.
  2. Buy some fiber reactive dye, such as Procion MX dye. Do not use all-purpose dye, such as Rit brand dye. You can mail-order your dye from any of the companies listed on my Sources for Dyeing Supplies page, or you can get a Jacquard or Tulip brand tie-dye kit. Do not get a Rit brand tie-dye kit.
  3. Buy soda ash. (A good tie-dye kit will include this.)
  4. Mix soda ash with water, one cup per gallon, in a plastic bucket.
  5. Soak shoes in soda ash water for twenty minutes. Make sure they are thoroughly soaked.
  6. Mix Procion MX dye in water, two to four teaspoons per cup. Add urea, if you have it, one tablespoon per cup. Place in squirt bottles, or place them in plastic cups and use a brush.
  7. Remove shoes from soda ash water and let excess water drip off. It's okay to let them dry, fully or partially, as long as you do not rinse out the soda ash.
  8. Apply Procion MX dye. It's best to place the colors in rainbow order. Don't place red next to green, or yellow next to purple, or orange next to blue, unless you want muddy brown colors. Make the shoes darker than you want, as the dye will be lighter in color after washing and drying.
  9. Leave the shoes in a warm place (70°F or above) overnight, for the dye to react with the fabric in the shoes. If you need to move them, such as to bring them inside where it's warm, you can wrap them in plastic wrap or pop them into plastic bags first.
  10. The next day, rinse the excess dye out, using first cool water, then warm water. Hot water works best to remove excess dye, but be careful not to melt the glue holding the shoes together.
  11. Allow the shoes to dry.
  12. Wear them.
By pburch at Wed, 2007-02-07 14:26 | login or register to post comments

On dyeing shoes.

I got myself a batch of canvas shoes pretty close to the classic Converse Chucks Lows design some time ago. They, too, were treated to be somewhat water proof. I gave them a good pre scrub wash with soda ash and hot water. Since they were brand new, they held up really good with only minor shrinkage of maybe 1 European size, approx. 1/2 US size. After soda soaking and letting them to dry out completely they really sucked up that dye like a dream. I'm sure one could do an awesome LWI, because direct application turned out rather blotchy. I should have given the design some thought, before starting to apply the dyes. Some friends still wear them from time to time so at least they like them. I need to try a few more pairs and I'll take some pics. I picked them up for 1.00 Euro a pair, so I still have some flying around the basement - somewhere 8-)

By THC at Wed, 2007-02-07 16:12 | login or register to post comments

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