Canvas sneakers are comfy and cool, but you may not find them in colors you want. Put a spring in your step by setting the shade yourself. With fabric dye, its a cinch to match them to your wardrobe or your mood.
Tools and Materials
Large basin or bucket
Liquid fabric dye
Salt (if needed; check dye directions)
White canvas sneakers, laces removed
Dyed Sneakers How-To
1. Fill basin with hot water. Add dye, and salt if specified, to water, following manufacturer's instructions for sink or bucket dyeing.
2. Wet sneakers with hot water, and place in dye bath.
3. Stir for amount of time stated on dye bottle. Rinse as directed.
4. Air-dry shoes, or place in dryer.
5. Clean basin immediately to avoid staining.
This is a great family bonding activity especially with kids! I wonder if it is possible to dye the front part of the shoes one color, then dip the back part into yet another color dye. That would be a new fashion statement! If there is a method to create tiedye shoes, please do share with us! I love colorful things.
To keep the soles & edges white you might try Vaseline or even utter balm, both of which may be purchase at Wal-Mart. I haven't tried that but these products are good for keeping other things dry and protecting against wetness.
I really like this, but everytime i dye anything it does not look so good, i end up throwing it out.. Will give this a try.
How did the designers keep the soles white?
To clean your pan or basin of use, regular household bleach does that. Make sure you don't mix bleach with the liquid dye.
Those who find they hate the color, etc can get the RIT DYE REMOVER. So it is best to use that dye when doing it first. Comes out every time. I also re-wash the item and set the dye with salt water. You can dye leather shoes but the time element is longer and no guarentee on the color you want.
I find RIT is fantastic for everything...wicker baskets...use the 5 gal bucket and set something heavy on basket and then something on that. IE, dye bucket , basket in, water filled bucket on top.
Ooops! remove before you dye them!
to keep the soles white, you can either remove them before you bye them or buy new soles. The Dollar Store has them for a $1.00.
You can also"paint" the rubber with wax..just melt gulf wax you can get at the grocery store...when you are done dyeing your shoes you take the wax off by peeling it off....You could also paint designs using the wax and then peel off after the dye dries...
I have a bottle of high quality (Montblanc) Burgundy-color (purple) fountain pen ink.. is there any reason I couldn't / shouldn't use an artist's 1" brush, and just paint a brand new pair of white canvas shoes with the ink, and let them dry? If I did this, I'd never wear them outsidde, if it's raining, because I'm pretty sure the ink would run if it got wet, even if it's been months since I painted them.. I just want to know if I can "dye" them with fountain pen ink, or do I really have to do the whole fabric dye / bucket routine?
I have a light pink pair of all star converse that are badly faded and i want to dye them bright pink. so im going to tape the white rubber, soak them in warm water and then apply the dye by han using a paint brush, that way nothing i dont want to dye will end up pink. then leave them to dry for a day or 2 then soak in water to remove any excess dye then leave to dry again and add new white laces
You can wrap the soles with masking tape, really tightly and with a few layers.
This is frustrating! I have dyed many canvas shoes and the sole always dyes along with it! These pictures are misleading, there is no way following these directions that the insides and soles wouldn't also get colored. If someone knows the trick I wish they would share!
I was wondering the same thing. Is there something we can put on the rubber to keep it from dyeing it also?
How do you prevent the dye from also colouring the white rubber bit around the sole, and the inside bit? If the dye will stain the basin, doesn't it follow that the whole shoe would also get dyed?
I recently bought a pair of converse, and at first I found the bright green color original and fun, but now I realize they don't go with any of my clothes (color-wise)... If I dye them, will they be some sort of green murky color ? I don't want to do anything too risky...
Another fun thing to do with canvas shoes is to coat them with 'gesso' (like artists do with canvas) available at any art store or joan fabrics, and then paint the sneakers any way you'd like using acrylic or oil paints (like an artist would). You could probably even use fabric markers on the gesso too.
I like this idea, but am wondering if the dye will rub of on your feet?
You can find some at rite aid
heidiraat, for this story, we used sneakers from Keds, keds.com
rite aid or sometimes kmart. but for sure rite aid
I am also wondering about who makes the elasticized shoes - do tell, please! :)
I love this idea and these shoes? What brand are the elastic ones, they do not appear to be keds. Where can I get them?