• Home
  • About
    • About Crafts by Amanda
    • Visit Our Recipe Site
  • Work With Us
  • Join
    • Free Newsletters
    • Join our Facebook craft group
↑
  • Tutorials
    • Tutorial Index
    • Adult Crafts
    • Crafts for Kids
    • Crafts for Seniors
    • Recycled Crafts
    • Seasonal Crafts
    • Holiday Crafts
    • Free Printables
    • Craft Collections
  • Adult Crafts
    • Bath & Body
    • Beach Crafts
    • Clay Pot Crafts
    • Crafts for Seniors
    • Decoupage Crafts for Adults
    • DIY Gift ideas
    • Garden Crafts
    • Home Decor Projects
    • Kitchen Crafts
    • Light Bulb Crafts
    • Luminary Crafts
    • Mason Jar Crafts
    • Needlework
    • Photo Display Ideas
    • Recycled Crafts for Adults
    • Wearable Crafts for Adults
  • Crafts for Kids
    • Animal Crafts for Kids
    • Back to School Crafts
    • Beach Crafts for Kids
    • Camp Crafts
    • Cardboard Tube Crafts for Kids
    • Decoupage Crafts for Kids
    • Easy Crafts for Kids
    • Nature Crafts for Kids
    • Other Kid’s Crafts
    • Paper Plate Crafts for Kids
    • Recycled Crafts for Kids
    • Slimes, Doughs, & Clay
    • Wearable Crafts for Kids
  • Holiday Crafts
    • 4th of July Crafts
    • Christmas Crafts
    • DIY Gift ideas
    • Earth Day Crafts
    • Easter Crafts
    • Father’s Day Crafts
    • Halloween Crafts
    • Memorial Day Crafts
    • Mother’s Day Crafts
    • New Year’s
    • Other Holidays
    • Patriot Day Crafts
    • St. Patrick’s Day Crafts
    • Thanksgiving Crafts
    • Valentine’s Day Crafts
  • Seasonal Crafts
    • Winter Crafts
    • Spring Crafts
    • Summer Crafts
    • Fall Crafts
  • Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Crafts by Amanda

crafts for adults and kid's crafts

  • Tutorials
    • Tutorial Index
    • Adult Crafts
    • Crafts for Kids
    • Crafts for Seniors
    • Recycled Crafts
    • Seasonal Crafts
    • Holiday Crafts
    • Free Printables
    • Craft Collections
  • Adult Crafts
    • Bath & Body
    • Beach Crafts
    • Clay Pot Crafts
    • Crafts for Seniors
    • Decoupage Crafts for Adults
    • DIY Gift ideas
    • Garden Crafts
    • Home Decor Projects
    • Kitchen Crafts
    • Light Bulb Crafts
    • Luminary Crafts
    • Mason Jar Crafts
    • Needlework
    • Photo Display Ideas
    • Recycled Crafts for Adults
    • Wearable Crafts for Adults
  • Crafts for Kids
    • Animal Crafts for Kids
    • Back to School Crafts
    • Beach Crafts for Kids
    • Camp Crafts
    • Cardboard Tube Crafts for Kids
    • Decoupage Crafts for Kids
    • Easy Crafts for Kids
    • Nature Crafts for Kids
    • Other Kid’s Crafts
    • Paper Plate Crafts for Kids
    • Recycled Crafts for Kids
    • Slimes, Doughs, & Clay
    • Wearable Crafts for Kids
  • Holiday Crafts
    • 4th of July Crafts
    • Christmas Crafts
    • DIY Gift ideas
    • Earth Day Crafts
    • Easter Crafts
    • Father’s Day Crafts
    • Halloween Crafts
    • Memorial Day Crafts
    • Mother’s Day Crafts
    • New Year’s
    • Other Holidays
    • Patriot Day Crafts
    • St. Patrick’s Day Crafts
    • Thanksgiving Crafts
    • Valentine’s Day Crafts
  • Seasonal Crafts
    • Winter Crafts
    • Spring Crafts
    • Summer Crafts
    • Fall Crafts
Craft Tutorials | Adult Crafts | Wearable Crafts for Adults | Sunshine Ombre Shibori Tie Dye Top
Wearable Crafts for Adults

Sunshine Ombre Shibori Tie Dye Top

Author by Amanda Davis on July 7, 2014 Updated on December 6, 2020

4.91 from 10 votes
Gorgeous! Vibrant! And you can make it yourself at home. Learn how to shibori tie dye!
Jump to Project
9159 shares
  • Share
  • Tweet
  • Flipboard
  • Email
shibori tie dye pin image

 

This beautiful shibori style top was made by Amanda Formaro - full step by step tutorial!

Have you heard of shibori? I hadn’t until just a couple weeks ago. It’s a resist method used for dying that has been used in Japan for many, many years. There are several different ways to shibori; folding, wrapping, twisting and more. I chose the method that involves wrapping fabric around a cylindrical object.

Sunshine Ombre Shibori Tie Dye Top by Amanda Formaro of Crafts by Amanda

I don’t do a lot of projects using the ombre look, but this one almost begged it. I love the gradual transition of colors that are going on with this top. Believe it or not, that top color is not red, it’s orange. The center is a mixture of orange and yellow and the bottom, of course, is yellow on its own.

JC Penney inspiration shirt

A couple weeks ago I was browsing JC Penney and saw these tops. Mine didn’t turn out like these, but I still love the results. And I’m still going to keep trying to achieve something similar to these. Yes, $14.99 is pretty darn reasonable, but I don’t look good in boat necks and they didn’t have any V-necks with this design. Besides, I love trying to figure stuff like this out! Gives me an excuse to spend time in the craft room. :)

Shibori Tie Dye Tees by Amanda Formaro of Crafts by Amanda

Before I show you how to make this top, I wanted to let you know that at the end of this post, there’s a link to my tutorial for making the blue/green one as well!

Note: some links below are affiliate links. That means if you happen to buy something, a small percentage of that sale goes back into this site, which enables me to continue to bring you free tutorials such as this one. So, thanks!

As always, a full printable supply list and instructions are at the end of this post.
For this project you will need the following supplies:

Tulip One-Step Dye Kits- Yellow
Tulip One-Step Dye Kits- Orange
White tee
PVC pipe – 1 1/2″ (diameter) x 24″ (long) (mine was around $5 at Home Depot)
Rubber bands and gloves (available in dye kit)
Spray bottle of water
Towel you don’t mind staining
Twine

Fold shirt and wrap around PVC pipe

First off, protect your work surface with an old tablecloth or lots of newspaper.

Lay your tee face up on the table. Fold the sleeves and sides of tee toward the center of the shirt. Beginning at one side of the tee, roll the shirt around the PVC pipe.

NOTE: Keep track of which end of the pipe your tee’s neckline is! You can draw a little mark inside that end of the PVC pipe with a permanent marker to help you remember.

Wrap bands and twine around top and pipe

Wrap a rubber band around each end of the pipe and in the center. This is not for resist purposes, just to hold the shirt in place. Tie the twine around one end of the pipe and knot.

scrunch the top down the pipe and wrap tightly with twine

Scrunch the shirt from each end toward the center of the pipe. Wrap the twine tightly around the pipe/tee until completely covered. There should be thin areas of tee showing in between wraps of twine.

Mist the tee with water

Mist the twine wrapped tee with water. Roll it in a towel to remove excess water, you want it damp, not sopping.

Add the dye in ombre style

Put on your gloves and mix your dye (add water and shake). Starting at the neckline end of your tee, cover about 1/4 of the fabric with orange dye. Cover the remaining fabric with yellow dye. To get that orange-yellow color in the center, add some orange dye over the yellow dye in the center of the tee.

Blend the dyes in the center

Roll the pipe back and forth across an old towel to ensure there’s no dripping dye. Wrap the pipe/tee in plastic wrap and allow it to sit for 6 hours.

Rinse and remove twine, unwrap

Remove the plastic wrap and run the fabric covered pipe under cool water to get as much as the dye out as you can. Remove the rubber bands and the twine and unroll the tee from the pipe. Rinse out any remaining dye and follow laundering instructions on the dye packaging.

Shibori Tie Dye Tees by Amanda Formaro of Crafts by Amanda

I hope you enjoyed this tutorial! If you would like to see how I made the blue hued shirt, please head over to my tutorial – Cool Hues Shibori Top

Print Project
4.91 from 10 votes

Sunshine Ombre Shibori Tie Dye Top

Gorgeous! Vibrant! And you can make it yourself at home. Learn how to shibori tie dye!
Prep Time45 minutes mins
Crafting Time6 hours hrs
Total Time6 hours hrs 45 minutes mins

Supplies

  • Yellow and orange dye
  • White tee
  • PVC pipe - 1 1/2" diameter x 24" (long)
  • Rubber bands and gloves from kit
  • Spray bottle of water
  • Towel you don't mind staining
  • Twine

Instructions

  • First off, protect your work surface with an old tablecloth or lots of newspaper.
  • Lay your tee face up on the table. Fold the sleeves and sides of tee toward the center of the shirt. Beginning at one side of the tee, roll the shirt around the PVC pipe.
  • Wrap a rubber band around each end of the pipe and in the center. This is not for resist purposes, just to hold the shirt in place. Tie the twine around one end of the pipe and knot.
  • Scrunch the shirt from each end toward the center of the pipe. Wrap the twine tightly around the pipe/tee until completely covered. There should be thin areas of tee showing in between wraps of twine.
  • Mist the twine wrapped tee with water. Roll it in a towel to remove excess water, you want it damp, not sopping.
  • Put on your gloves and mix your dye (add water and shake). Starting at the neckline end of you tee, cover about 1/4 of the fabric with orange dye. Cover the remaining fabric with yellow dye. To get that orange-yellow color in the center, add some orange dye over the yellow dye in the center of the tee.
  • Roll the pipe back and forth across an old towel to ensure there's no dripping dye. Wrap the pipe/tee in plastic wrap and allow it to sit for 6 hours.
  • Remove the plastic wrap and run the fabric covered pipe under cool water to get as much as the dye out as you can. Remove the rubber bands and the twice and unroll the tee from the pipe. Rinse out any remaining dye and follow laundering instructions on the dye packaging.

Expert Tips & FAQs

Keep track of which end of the pipe your tee's neckline is! You can draw a little mark inside that end of the PVC pipe with a permanent marker to help you remember.
Create a beautiful ombre t-shirt using the Shibori tie dye method!
  • Author
  • Recent Posts
Amanda Davis
Amanda Davis is the crafty, entrepreneurial mother of four children. She loves to bake, cook, make kid's crafts and create decorative items for her home. She is a crafting expert and guru in the kitchen and has appeared online and in print publications many times over the years.
Latest posts by Amanda Davis (see all)
  • Spring Scavenger Hunt - May 9, 2025
  • How to Make Lip Scrub - May 2, 2025
  • How to Make Lavender Soap - April 22, 2025
9159 shares
  • Share
  • Tweet
  • Flipboard
  • Email

Filed Under: DIY Gift ideas, Inspirations, Summer Crafts, Wearable Crafts for Adults Tagged With: adult, adult craft ideas, adult crafts, adults, crafts for adults, i love to create, shibori, shirt, t-shirt, tee, tie dye, top, wearable

Reader Interactions

Free CraftsBy email every week

Latest crafts straight to your inbox!

Comments

  1. Tina Berrier says

    July 1, 2022 at 9:41 am

    This is so cool.

    Reply
  2. Linda says

    June 16, 2020 at 3:17 pm

    I have tshirts from cj banks and am wondering if they would work as well?

    Reply
    • Amanda Formaro says

      June 16, 2020 at 9:43 pm

      I’m not sure, I’m not familiar with the brand. Sorry!

      Reply
  3. Clodreé says

    December 12, 2017 at 10:58 pm

    Love ?
    Obrigada!

    Reply
  4. Karen says

    July 16, 2015 at 7:17 am

    These are lovely, I am ordering some dyes! I don’t look so great in boatnecks either, can you tell me where you got your tshirt blank? I really like the way it’s made. Thanks so much for the lesson.

    Reply
    • Amanda Formaro says

      July 27, 2015 at 8:30 am

      Hi Karen! Pretty sure this one I bought from JC Penney :)

      Reply
  5. Victoria says

    June 16, 2015 at 3:09 pm

    Was thinking for a while about doing some onesies for a friend. Just wondering whether these dyes are safe to use on children’s clothes? Don’t want to give them to her & the dye rub off on the baby? X

    Reply
    • Amanda Formaro says

      July 2, 2015 at 2:25 pm

      They are safe and the dye will not rub off :)

      Reply
  6. Renee VanEpps says

    April 20, 2015 at 6:28 am

    This is such a great project, thank you for the tutorial and inspiration Amanda!!! I have a quick question – do you know why the one side of the shirt has more color and there’s more white space on the other? Is there a way to get it to come out more even on both sides?

    Reply
    • Amanda Formaro says

      July 2, 2015 at 2:39 pm

      It’s been a while since I made it, but it had to do with how far into the roll the back of the shirt ended up. Does that make sense?

      Reply
    • Phyllis says

      July 2, 2017 at 5:44 pm

      Try rolling the neck end in first and then the bottom will be darker. The yellow and the red/orange would be on the left or right and the lighter Orange would be in the middle.

      Reply
  7. Sherry Litchfield Newton says

    February 12, 2015 at 2:49 am

    Nice

    Reply
  8. Sherry Litchfield Newton says

    February 12, 2015 at 2:48 am

    nice tie dye shirt

    Reply
  9. Denise Stone says

    February 9, 2015 at 8:39 pm

    We’ve got these styles coming into fashion here in Australia now and I much prefer yours. This technique would make everyone unique, which I think is awesome. Keep up the good work!

    Reply
  10. Liz says

    February 7, 2015 at 7:33 pm

    Do you know what might happen if the dye were left on for more than six hours? I teach art and was thinking to try this with my art club. But we would have to let them sit over night – way more than six hours.
    Just wondering :)

    Reply
    • Amanda Formaro says

      February 22, 2015 at 9:56 am

      It should be fine. I haven’t tried it overnight, but I have left them for longer than 6 hours without a problem.

      Reply
  11. Crystal says

    February 6, 2015 at 12:12 am

    Okay. Here is my tie dye hint. Soak your shirt in tub or bucket with washing soda. Ring it out then do your tie dye. Makes a huge difference doing it on a wet shirt than a dry shirt. The colors penetrate so much better. We are the tie dye family here. We even tie dyed bassinet sheets and crib sheets for our baby. He also had a tie dye onesie. We were totally the grooviest family around.

    Reply
  12. Suzanne says

    February 5, 2015 at 9:47 am

    They’re gorgeous! I like them better than the ones in the store, too. I don’t do a lot of crafts but you’ve really made me want to do this one!

    Reply
    • Amanda Formaro says

      February 9, 2015 at 7:22 am

      Awesome! Hope you have fun with it Suzanne!

      Reply
  13. VCal says

    August 15, 2014 at 11:13 pm

    Do you think this technique would work with a queen sized sheet?
    I’m making a backdrop for a black light pillow fight and I think this technique would create a cool landscape-esque atmosphere. I have UV reactive dyes in 6 colors!
    Thanks

    Reply
    • Amanda Formaro says

      August 16, 2014 at 8:47 am

      That sounds cool! Just keep in mind that a queen size sheet is a lot larger, which means it will wrap around the tube several times more than a shirt will. That makes it harder for the dye to penetrate. So either increase the amount of dye OR use a larger cylinder to wrap it around. Would love to hear how it turns out!

      Reply
  14. Peggy says

    July 8, 2014 at 3:01 pm

    So clever and I love the final product. It’s really beautiful. I just asked my husband if we had any PVC pipe lying around. I think I’ll be running to Lowe’s for a pipe a Michael’s for a shirt tomorrow!

    Reply
    • Amanda Formaro says

      July 11, 2014 at 8:32 am

      Hope you have fun with it Peggy!

      Reply
  15. Rosa Marie says

    July 8, 2014 at 11:58 am

    How do I get my picture added by my name ?

    Reply
    • Amanda Formaro says

      July 11, 2014 at 8:32 am

      Hi Rosa. I’m not sure, but I think if you go to Gravatar.com you can get it there :)

      Reply
  16. Rosa Marie says

    July 8, 2014 at 11:57 am

    I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE these shirts!!!!! I only like V neck too. Soooooooooo I hope I can do it. I love RED.

    Reply
    • Amanda Formaro says

      July 11, 2014 at 8:32 am

      You can do it!

      Reply
  17. Joni Hoult says

    July 8, 2014 at 10:35 am

    I like yours better than the store bought ones. They’re brilliant. And look more texured.

    Reply
    • Amanda Formaro says

      July 11, 2014 at 8:33 am

      Thank you so much Joni!

      Reply
  18. Asmaa says

    July 8, 2014 at 3:23 am

    Hey love your project and lovely outcome , just a tip , do not use the pipe just gather the shirt lenghtwise not eavenly then twist it as much as you can may need another hand to help… then wrap as tight as you can with a yarn maybe twice on the same place if yarn is thin , keep the yarn at a distance not too covering the whole fabric . Then you can dip all the twisted element in one color to get the look of the tee your project was inspired with :)

    Reply
    • Amanda Formaro says

      July 8, 2014 at 7:03 am

      Thanks Asmaa, it’s funny you should say that because “twisting” was another method I was going to try soon. I didn’t want the shirt one color though, I prefer multiple colors :)

      Reply
  19. agnes wimmer says

    February 4, 2015 at 2:05 am

    i wondered if using a plastic twine instead of rope twine, if you could get the effect that the store bought version has, since the rope twine absorbs the dye as well.

    Reply
  20. Amanda Formaro says

    February 5, 2015 at 7:04 am

    That’s a brilliant idea Agnes!

    Reply
4.91 from 10 votes (7 ratings without comment)

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Rate This Project




The maximum upload file size: 640 MB. You can upload: image, video. Links to YouTube, Facebook, Twitter and other services inserted in the comment text will be automatically embedded. Drop files here

Primary Sidebar

Hi! I’m Amanda and I’m the founder and head designer of Crafts by Amanda. I have spent over 25 years creating projects to share, but it’s not just me anymore! It’s turned into a complete family affair. Come and meet the Creative Team!

Free CraftsBy email every week

Latest crafts straight to your inbox!

All Time Favorites

snowy pinecone candle jar luminaries

Winter Luminaries: Snowy Pinecone…

Make pretty winter luminaries that appear to be covered ... Go To project

Make this wonderful deco mesh pumpkin wreath to hang on your door this fall!

Deco Mesh Pumpkin Wreath…

Adorn your door this fall with a pretty deco mesh ... Go To project

Learn to make these adorable ladybug painted rocks. use special outdoor paint for this adorable garden craft so you can keep garden ladybugs all summer!

Ladybug Painted Rocks…

I'm going to show you how to make these adorable ... Go To project

Reuse those empty prescription pill bottles in all sorts of ways. From organizing to making cookies. Yes, cookies! See how to use your empty pill bottles!

20 Uses for Prescription Pill…

You've been collecting prescription pill bottles for ... Go To project

Meet the Family

Amanda

Founder and Designer

Kristen

Editorial Manager

Lindsay

Social Media Manager

As seen on:

Footer

Favorites

  • Jar Photo Frames
  • No-Sew Roman Shade
  • Paper Flowers
  • How to Make a Scrunchie
  • Mermaid Slime

About

  • Home
  • Meet the Creative Team
  • Work with Us
  • Privacy Policy
  • Accessibility
  • Contact Us

Images/text copyright Amanda Formaro 2020. To feature a post from Crafts by Amanda, you may use one photo credited and linked back directly to the project post.

Free CraftsBy email every week

Latest crafts straight to your inbox!

Copyright ©2025, Crafts by Amanda. All Rights Reserved.
Design by Pixel Me Designs

Rate This Tutorial

Your vote:




To share a photo with your comment click here!

A rating is required
A name is required
An email is required

Recipe Ratings without Comment

Something went wrong. Please try again.