The Fastest Way to Dye a Tote. Period.

Sarah Jones · Nov 8, 2013

We always try to bring reusable totes to the grocery store or market, but we just aren’t big fans of the ones you get at the checkout counter. So instead of being resolved to carrying any old market tote, we decided to make our own using only four supplies!

Materials:

– Canvas tote

– Spray dye

– Painter’s tape

– Stencil

Instructions:

1. Sketch a few designs, then decide on your favorite and start taping.

2. Cover up the areas you don’t want dyed with scrap paper.

3. Time to start spraying! For a more speckled look, hold the spray further from the bag. For a more solid look, hold it up close.

4. Once you’ve sprayed all areas, gently remove tape. Let dry overnight before using!

Now let’s dive in!

Start by gathering your materials. Sketch a few designs and then decide on your favorite.

We’re going to only use tape for our first two totes.

SOLID DYED GEOMETRIC TOTE

We’ll be using the solid dye technique for this tote.

Start by taping off your pattern. Beginning with the purple section, cover up the other parts of the tote you don’t want dyed, then spray away. Repeat with remaining two sections. Gently dab the excess dye puddles on the painter’s tape with a paper towel, then gently remove tape. Let dry and you’re done!

OMBRE DYED GEOMETRIC TOTE

This tote uses the combo techniques of solid and speckled dying.

Tape your pattern onto the tote and cover up all but one section with scrap paper. Solid dye the section, then remove the scrap paper and gently spray lighter mists on the exposed sections. Repeat with other sections, gently remove tape, and let dry.

TWEED PATTERNED OMBRE TOTE

This tote is probably the simplest of the bunch!

Lay tweed stencil at the top of the tote centered with the handle. Gently spray dye over stencil and the upper half of the tote. Rinse stencil and repeat with the bottom half of the tote.

DIAGONAL TWEED TOTE

Probably the most unique of the bunch, we love using our tweed stencil to create diagonal stripes.

Start by taping the stencil into place and covering up the exposed areas with scrap paper. We went for an ombre look so gently spray the dye over this section. Move onto the next section by matching up the tweed pattern, taping, covering, and spraying again. Repeat until the diagonal is completed and then repeat again with another color. Let dry completely before using!