How to Tie-Dye a Canvas Tote

Have you ever wondered how to tie-dye a canvas tote?  Well, my daughter just celebrated her 9th birthday.  She had a sleepover party and we planned some fun activities for her and her friends to do during the course of the day and evening.

One of the things the girls made was a tie-dye canvas tote.  We used plain white canvas totes and bought a tie-dye kit that had 3 different colors:  vibrant purple, lime green, and deep blue.  We laid down newspaper to protect the counter space we were using and the girls put on aprons to protect their clothes.  The kit came with plastic gloves that the girls were able to wear. I regrettably did not wear any gloves and I still have dye on my hands after 3 days.

Preparing to Tie-Dye Canvas Tote

We tied the rubber bands at each of the 4 corners.  Then, we tied a rubber band on each side right in the middle which gave us sort of a star shape.  We laid out our bags and the girls took turns passing around the bottles of dye.  Two of the girls saturated their bags canvas totes with color and the other girl preferred to leave more white space.

Applying the dye

When they were finished, we wrapped each tie-dyed bag in a plastic grocery bag and set them aside for 7 hours.  At the end of the 7 hours, we removed the rubber bands to reveal what the bags looked like.  They were still damp and, according to the directions, needed to be washed and dried individually.  We did just that and all the girls were very proud of their creations.  Take a look my daughter’s finished product:

Tie-Dye Canvas Tote

I love doing crafts with my kids and their friends although they don’t always turn out as I envisioned them in my head. I wasn’t sure how to tie-dye a canvas tote or if I would be able to help them do it properly. But, I’m glad that we gave it a try because the smiles on their faces said it all.

Tie-Dye Canvas Tote

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