How to Tie Dye a Teepee

Do you want to learn How to Tie Dye your own Teepee Tent?

When kids have a place to call their own and an imagination to embellish it, it’s one of the great joys of childhood.

Want to give your kids’ play area a unique style, you can follow our guide for how to tie dye a teepee tent to make sure it turns out perfectly!

Here are the materials needed for your tie dye teepee tent:

  • All-Purpose Dye (Choose whatever colors you want!)
  • Rope or Rubber Bands
  • Squirt Bottles
  • Salt
  • Baking Rack or Basin
  • Measuring Cup
  • Plastic Gloves

So here it goes:

Step 1: Set up your work area.

Gather all the materials needed and set them up on somewhere you don’t mind being colored on…I’m thinking outdoors, where its grassy and sunny.

Step 2: Wash the teepee in warm water with detergent to thoroughly clean the fabric.

Make sure to remove visible stains and any dirt and treatments from the fabric so the die covers it evenly.

(Please DO NOT USE FABRIC SOFTENER as it will affect the absorption of the dye later.)

Step 3: Mix the dye according to the manufacturer’s directions. 

A pack of Powdered Dye or ½ Cup of Liquid Dye should be mixed with 2 cups of Hot Water and 1 tablespoon of salt.  On the condition of the manufacturer, you may also heat the water on a stove and pour in the Dye.

Pour the color into squirt bottles. Then ask your kids to Shake each bottle!

Repeat Step 3 for each color.

Step 4:  Decide what design you want to create on your teepee.  

For us, we grabbed the center of the top of the tent and twisted to create a spiral pattern.

 Step 5: Tie up the twisted teepee.  

I highly recommend you use rope or rubber bands to tightly secure the teepee. Later on, you’ll appreciate how the parts that were covered beautifully enhances the design.

Pour dye on fabric

Step 6:  Apply the Die to create the pattern you want.

Here’s the FUN part!

Use your squirt bottles, and start coloring!  Divide the color into 6 sections, like the one in the photo, this will then give you a nice spiral of colors.

fully dyed teepee

Step 7: Wrap the Teepee in plastic and let it sit for 24 hours.

This period of color-absorption could be the best time to clean up the work area…and make snacks with the kids!

Step 8: Rinse the dye out until the water runs clear.

wash out excess dye

The next day, it’s time to unravel the beauty you’ve created.

VIOLA!  A unique Tie Dye Teepee!

See how the colors spiraled up?

spiral tie dye teepee

Step 9: Wash the teepee (optionally, use a product, like a Dye Fixative, to set the colors.)

Aside from the Spiral Tie Dye Teepee, there are other Tie Dye Techniques you can use By Stephanie Lynn

For these next techniques, it will be the “Steps 4, 5, and 6” of the Tie Dye Process. All the rest of the steps above would be the same.

Crumple Tie Dye Teepee

In order to give this effect, crumple your Teepee till it becomes a mound of crumples. Then secure it with ropes or rubber band.  Then pour in the colors!

crumple tie dye techniqye
crumple tie dye effect

Sunburst Tie Dye Teepee

Fold the fabric in half, crosswise. Again, fold it in half, lengthwise.

Pinch and pull up 2 inches of fabric, then tie it with rubber band. (Repeat this for the desired number of sunbursts.)

Dye the outer edges of the teepee, the space between the sunbursts, and in the center of the sunburst.

sunburst tie dye technique

Striped Tie Dye Teepee

old the Teepee like an Accordion. Tie  equal parts, which will make the stripes, with rubber bands or rope. And color each stripe differently.

Stripes Tie Dye Technique
stripes tie dye effect

Diamond Tie Dye Teepee

Fold the Teepee like an Accordion to make one long strip.

Then turn the strip in a vertical position and fold the bottom corner of the fabric at a 90-degree angle, specifically creating a triangle shape.

Using that triangle shape as a guide,  repeat an accordion fold until you are left with a single ‘triangle’ of fabric.  Then tie it with rubber bands or rope.

triangle tie dye technique
diamond tie dye effect

Boxed Tie Dye Teepee

Fold the Teepee like an Accordion (Tip: The width of the folds would be the size of your boxes.)

Fold the edge of the fabric so you make one square.  Keep on folding the edge like an Accordion till you end up with one fat square.

Tie it up and color!

box tie dye technique
box tie dye effect

Be sure to let us know how yours turns out!

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