Administratively Blonde: Shoes to "Dye" for

You may have noticed now that I love shoes, particularly ballet flats. I wear them constantly, especially in the summer as they are cute and comfy. As I discussed in my previous post, I might be a cobbler, I bought two pairs of cotton flats years ago. I remade the turquoise ones in that post and now it's time to re-make the pink!

Tie-Dye Flats

Supplies:

Ballet flats, natural fabrics work best
Bleach
Tie-dye kit (I got mine at a craft store)
White vinegar

I work at a university and students LOVE to tie-dye. I was inspired as some of my students hosted an event last month where they tie-dyed sports bras. I thought it was clever and more interesting than the typical t-shirt. I had the brilliant idea to tie-dye my shoes. My shoes originally looked like this:

I had to first remove the color. First, I tried putting them in the washer with several cups of bleach. This did nothing...don't try it! I decided straight bleach was the answer so I filled my sink with 2" of bleach and dipped them in, fabric side down. Don't forget to wear grungy clothes or you'll have bleach spots everywhere!

I let the shoes sit in the sink for about 30 min. Afterwards, I drained the sink (wear gloves!) and ran the shoes through the washing machine with some detergent. I threw them in the dryer as well; however, if your shoes aren't a natural fabric then I suggest letting them air dry. They came out nice and white.

Notice the large grease stain that the bleach didn't remove!

Now, it was time to figure out how to tie my shoes with rubber bands. I ended up using small bands and just making tiny clumps wherever I could grab the fabric. This depends on how you want your design to be placed as well.

You can skip this step if you want to

Next, mix your dyes according to the directions on the package. My kit came with gloves, rubber bands and 6 colors and applicator bottles. While wearing gloves, I mixed the powdered dye with water in the bottle.

Color time! I applied the colors rather haphazardly. I made sure to choose colors that I like and would compliment my wardrobe. I definitely did not use all the colors. Make sure your shoes are completely colored (or, in whatever design you choose.)

They look kind of funky when they're wet

I then wrapped the shoes in plastic wrap so they would stay wet and let them sit for 1 day. Afterwards, I ran them through a short washing cycle with cold water and one cup of white vinegar to set the color.