Measure your pillows and make sure that you have a correctly sized pre-made pillow

cover OR you have enough fabric to tie dye. Wash and dry fabric if needed. Prep your work station with a protective surface cover and wire rack and sheet tray to catch excess dye. Select which nature-inspired earthy colors you want to use, and prepare your tie dye solutions by pouring the dye powder into the bottles and filling to the line with water. Replace the lid and shake well to ensure the dye powder is properly mixed.

Decide which folding and binding techniques you want to use for your color block pillows! Oh Yay Studio used both the crumple and accordion techniques for their colorful tie dye pillows. Secure with rubber bands as needed.

Put on a pair of protective gloves and begin to tie dye your fabric! Be sure to apply dye to both the front and back sides of the fabric. Try to put similar earthy colors next to each other— putting complementary colors next to one another may result in muddied brown shades.

Once everything is covered in dye, wrap in a plastic or place in a sealed container and allow the fabric to set for 6-8 hours or overnight.

Once the dye has set, cut the rubber bands, rinse, wash in cool water with a little laundry detergent, dry, and reveal! Take a moment to admire how the earthy colors come through on your tie-dye pillows.

Now it’s time to do some color blocking! Iron your tie-dyed fabric if necessary, then cut the dimensions of your fabric to fit nicely over your pillow, leaving a ¼ inch seam allowance on all 4 sides. Cut a total of 3 pieces per pillow – 1 large piece for the front and 2 for the back to create a “back flap.” This allows you to make a pillow cover without a zipper!

Sew the fabric together for each pillow case, then put them on your pillows! These color block pillows with nature-inspired tie dye make a great display for any season.

How are you using natural earthy colors for your tie-dye creations? Show us what you make and tag us on social media @TulipColorCrafts!