Tie Dye Pumpkin – How to Tie Dye a Pumpkin Design
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Daniela Kretchmer
- Updated: Oct 27, 2023
- Clothing, Dyeing, Halloween, Tie Dye
Learn how to make a tie dye pumpkin design on a shirt. Celebrate fall or Halloween with this unique pumpkin tie dye design.
Table of Contents
Continuing the tie dye trend, I wanted to try to make some Halloween tie dye shirts. So of course I had to start with a tie dye pumpkin, but you can explore all of the patterns I’ve made.
I’ll admit, this was my second try, but I’m quite pleased with how it came out and am excited to share how to make one yourself. And I dyed a shirt, but you can of course dye whatever you would like such as making a tie dye sweatshirt or socks.
I also made some easy to use templates to make it super easy to make this shirt and other Halloween tie dye shirts.
I recommend pairing it with some pumpkin cinnamon rolls to go all out on the theme! And here are some ghost pathway lights you can make.
Note: Some links in this post may contain affiliate links, which means at no cost to you, I may earn a commission.
Be sure to pin it to save it for later!
Materials to Make the Tie Dye Pumpkin Shirt
- White Cotton Shirt
- Washable Markers (Amazon)
- Needle and Thread
- Zip Ties or Rubber bands (these are the ones I have)
- Small Clamp (Amazon)
- Tie Dye Kit (Amazon) – I always recommend using kits with soda ash, but you can also use the one step kits (Amazon). Be sure to get a kit that includes black tie dye – all of the ones I’ve linked to here do!
- Rubber Gloves
- Plastic Wrap
- Paper Towels
- Pumpkin Tie Dye Template
Free Downloadable Halloween Tie Dye Templates
Download these templates to make it easy to make this pumpkin tie dye shirt and other Halloween tie dye shirts. Each template is on its own page so you can print the ones you want. Download it below or in the shop.
Scale it to the size you want and print it out to make it super easy to draw the design.
Download the Free
Halloween Tie Dye Templates
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Instructions to Make a Tie Dye Pumpkin
Before anything, be sure to wash your shirt so that it removes any chemicals or anything that will prevent the dye from soaking in.
Draw the Design for the Tie Dye Pumpkin
Fold the shirt in half and draw half of a pumpkin outline using a washable marker. Use the free downloadable template to make it super easy. Cut out the template and trace around it.
Tip: Use the same color marker you want to dye the section. This way you can easily see the different sections when folded up. Therefore for this section I recommend using an orange marker. Also make sure it’s a washable marker, otherwise you’ll end up dyeing the shirt!
If you want the pumpkin to have extra details, draw lines connecting the top and bottom.
Lastly, use a green washable marker to draw half of a stem at the top.
Sew the Design
Use a needle and thread to do a basic running stitch around the outside of the pumpkin. Start and stop your thread on the same side. So I came down from the top of the shirt and ended coming back up to the top of the shirt.
Leave plenty of thread available as you’ll use it to tie everything together.
Tip: Just as with the orange marker, I recommend using orange thread as another identifier.
Next, sew along each line you drew in the body of the pumpkin. Just as before, start and stop on the same side of the shirt and leave enough thread to tie it.
You can also do this with the stem and use green thread. This is what I originally did, but my thread broke so I ended up using a clip.
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Wet, Tie, and Crumple the Shirt
To make sure you get the most detail from your tie dye pumpkin, soak the shirt in water and squeeze out the excess.
Then start with the middle stripes of the pumpkin and gently pull on the thread. This will create folds in the shirt.
Tie it off using the ends of the yarn.
Repeat the process for the other stripe and the outline of the pumpkin.
Tip: For the outline, it can be easier to pull it from one side at a time to make sure the thread doesn’t break.
If you were able to sew the stem, repeat the process above with the thread of the stem.
If not, fan fold along the line and place the clamp along the line. Make sure the clamp is not along the fold as that’s where the dye will go.
For the rest of the shirt, you can crumple, twist, or scrunch it however you would like.
I went with the crumple method.
Secure the rest of the shirt with rubber bands or zip ties.
Then soak it in a water and soda ash mixture for at least 20 minutes.
Follow the instructions on your kit, but it’s typically 1 cup of soda ash for 1 gallon of water. Make sure all of the soda ash is dissolved.
Then when you’re ready to dye the shirt, squeeze out the excess.
Prepare the Dye
Your kit may or may not come with orange and green so you’ll need to mix the colors. You can use an extra bottle if you have one or a cup (my go-to is yogurt containers). Add water to the bottles like normal and as your kit instructions say. Then you can mix the colors.
To make the orange dye, start with yellow and add a few drops of red at a time. To make it darker, add a drop or so of black.
To make the green dye, start with yellow and add a few drops of blue at a time. Again, if you want to make it darker, add a drop or so of black. Keep in mind, you won’t need very much green dye.
You can test the colors by putting a drop on a paper towel and seeing how it looks.
Dye the Tie Dye Pumpkin
When you’re happy with the color, put on some gloves and cover the area with plastic wrap.
Then use the squeeze bottle, eye dropper, or spoon to add orange dye to the pumpkin section of the shirt. It should be easy to identify from the orange marker and thread.
Be sure to flip it over and add dye to the other side. You can also push the dye into the shirt to make sure it’s fully saturated.
Tip: Make sure the whole area of the pumpkin is covered in orange. It’s okay if it spreads beyond that, except for the stem. Make sure orange doesn’t get on where the stem is.
Next, add green dye to the stem. Again, give the fabric a pinch to help distribute the dye.
Once you have the the pumpkin and stem dyed, add black to the rest of the shirt.
Be very careful to not get the black on the pumpkin area. It’s therefore a good idea to wipe up your area with a paper towel.
This is what it should look like completely dyed.
Wrap it all up in plastic wrap and let it set for at least 6 hours, but I recommend a full 24 hours.
Tip: When wrapping it, make sure the orange and green are not touching any of the black dye.
Rinse and Enjoy!
After the time is up, rinse it in the sync with cool and then warmer water. Remove the ties, rubber bands, and clamps and continue rinsing until the water runs clear.
Then throw it in the washing machine with other tie dye clothes. Run it through the dryer and your tie dye pumpkin shirt is ready to wear!
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More Tie Dye Projects and Halloween Crafts
- Bat Tie Dye Shirt
- Halloween Tie Dye Shirts
- Halloween Ghost Pathway Lights
- Ghost Tie Dye Shirt
- Candy Corn Tie Dye Shirt
- Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls
- More Tie Dye Shirts
- Bleach Tie Dye
- Tie Dye Socks
- Tie Dye Sweatshirt
- Tie Dye Crocs
- Tie Dye Shorts
- All Tie Dye Patterns
And be sure to check out my recommendations for the best tie dye kits.
Get the latest DIY tutorials, reviews, and crafting updates
You'll never be spammed and can unsubscribe at any time
Tie Dye Pumpkin Shirt
Learn how to make a tie dye pumpkin design on a shirt. Celebrate fall or Halloween with this unique pumpkin tie dye design.
Materials
- 1 White Cotton Shirt
- Washable Markers Orange and Green
- 1 Needle and Thread
- Rubber Bands or Zip Ties
- 1 Small Clamp or Clothespin
- 1 Tie Dye Kit or Tie-Dye Dye and Soda Ash
- Water
- 1 pair Rubber Gloves
- Plastic Wrap
- Paper Towels
Equipment
- Bucket or Plastic Bin
Instructions
- Fold the shirt in half and draw half of a pumpkin outline using a washable marker.1 White Cotton Shirt, Washable Markers
- If you want the pumpkin to have extra details, draw lines connecting the top and bottom.
- Use a green washable marker to draw half of a stem at the top.
- Use a needle and thread to do a basic running stitch around the outside of the pumpkin.1 Needle and Thread
- Sew along each line you drew in the body of the pumpkin.
- Soak the shirt in water and squeeze out the excess.Then start with the middle stripes of the pumpkin and gently pull on the thread. This will create folds in the shirt.Water
- Tie it off using the ends of the yarn.Repeat the process for the other stripe and the outline of the pumpkin.
- Fan fold along the stem line and place the clamp along the line.1 Small Clamp or Clothespin
- Crumple, twist, or scrunch the rest of the shirt however you'd like.
- Secure it with rubber bands or zip tiesRubber Bands or Zip Ties
- Soak it in a soda ash mixture for at least 20 minutes.The ratio should be 1 cup soda ash to 1 gallon of water.
- Put on gloves and prepare the dyes according to the instructions. Mix the yellow and red to make orange. Mix yellow and blue to make green.Cover your area with plastic wrap and add the orange dye to the pumpkin section.1 Tie Dye Kit or Tie-Dye Dye and Soda Ash, Plastic Wrap, 1 pair Rubber Gloves
- Add green dye to the stem.
- Add black to the rest of the shirt. Be careful to not get black on the orange or green parts. Use a paper towel to wipe up the black dye.Paper Towels
- Wrap it all up in plastic wrap and let it set for at least 6 hours, but I recommend a full 24 hours.
- Rinse it in the sink until the water runs clear. Then wash it in the washing machine with other tie dye clothes. Run it through the dryer and your tie dye pumpkin shirt is ready to wear!
Daniela Kretchmer
Daniela is a lifelong crafter who loves to share her passion for crafting. Through classes or learning on her own, she likes to say she'll do pretty much any craft aside from scrapbooking. Her current personal obsessions include garden crafts, felting, and spinning yarn.
