It’s spooky season, so I tie dyed a stack of Halloween towels using shape folds. Below I’ll walk you through how I folded a skull, a bat, and a jack-o’-lantern, and I threw in a little ghost at the end as a bonus. All of them are ice dyed, with liquid black dye on the faces and details so they really pop. (Some showed up more than others.)
Shape folds can look intimidating. They get easier fast. Once you’ve folded a couple, you’ll notice every shape uses the same basic moves, and I’ll point out what I’d change next time so you can skip my mistakes.
What you’ll need
- Cotton towels (or any cotton item you want to dye)
- Soda ash
- Sinew and a sinew puller
- A washable marker for tracing
- My free Halloween shape templates
- Ice
- Jacquard Jet Black, mixed as a liquid dye (use code ANNA for 20% off at Jacquard)
- Ice dye colors: Dharma Blood Moon, Love Potion, Black Ice, and Dalula Dyes – Moody Fire
Soak your towels in soda ash for at least 20 minutes before you start folding. For more details on soda ash for tie dye check out my post here. Then trace your template onto the fabric and fold along the lines.
How to fold a tie dye skull
This was my first time folding this exact skull, and it came out so cool. I cut holes in my template for the eye and nose so I could trace those too, then traced around the whole skull.
- Start with the nose. With shape folds, always tie the smallest part first. Accordion fold along the nose line and wrap it with sinew. My nose barely showed up, so next time I’d draw it bigger and wrap the sinew 3-4 times, then pull, then tie another 3-4 times, to get a sharper line.
- Tie the eye. Folding a circle is hard. I folded the eye in half first and then accordion folded it, which is so much easier. Give it a try and it’ll make sense. If you don’t need an exact shape, you can also just pinch up the fabric into a circle. Wrap with sinew three to five times and pull it tight with your sinew puller.
- Fold the outer skull. Accordion fold along the outline. As you reach each curve, keep following the line all the way around. That’s what turns it into a skull shape and keeps it from looking like a plain oval. It takes a little practice, but I promise it’s easier than it looks. Wrap three to five times and cut your sinew.
- Add a geode around the outside. I wrapped random spots of the leftover fabric with sinew, about three or four nodules in a row, then started a new section. If you’ve never tied a geode, check out my geode fold playlist. Or to read about it check out that post here.
Skull dye colors
- Eyes and nose: Jacquard Jet Black, mixed as a liquid and applied right onto the tied sections
- Skull: Blood Moon, a Dharma ice dye color that’s red and splits gray
- Outside: Love Potion, a purple that splits kind of green.
Love Potion was a special edition, so you might not find it. Dharma’s newer Chocolate Cherries is a maroon that splits brown, and it gives a similar feel. I covered everything in ice and let it melt for 24 hours.
Skull final result
That Blood Moon is my favorite part. The red and gray split gives the skull so much texture.
How to fold a tie dye bat
The bat was the hardest of the bunch. I traced the template the same way as the skull and followed the edge as I folded. Honestly, I was too precise with all the little curves on the wings, and the shape got a bit lost. It still came out really cool. You just have to be looking for the bat to see it.
- Accordion fold along the outline. If I did it again, I’d skip most of the wing curves and use a simpler outline.
- Tuck as you go. Because the bat is so long, it’s hard to get the fabric all the way around. You’ll need to start tucking and folding the fabric into itself to finish the shape. Watch the head here, since mine got pretty lost.
- Tie a bullseye around it. I sinew tied along the edge so the whole thing became a long tube. Those extra rings frame the bat like wings in the final result. Tie them nice and tight to get a solid line.
I use a bullseye around most of my shapes. It makes the shape stand out so well.
Bat dye colors
- Bat: Jacquard Jet Black, mixed as a liquid
- Outside: Black Ice, a really dark purple that splits gray
Then ice on top and 24 hours to melt.
Bat final result
The bat is subtle, and I’m okay with that. That Black Ice is gorgeous.
How to fold a tie dye jack-o’-lantern
I make a jack-o’-lantern every single year because it’s simple and always turns out cool. If you’re new to shape folds, start here. A heart is probably the easiest shape there is, and the jack-o’-lantern is just one step above it.
Draw a symmetrical jack-o’-lantern face (or trace my template), then tie each feature.
- Tie the eyes. I started with an eye this time, but the nose is smaller, so start there if you’re following the smallest-first rule. For a triangle, accordion fold along the bottom edge, then turn it and accordion fold along the longer edge. I messed up an eye on this one and had to finagle it a bit. Every tie dye project turns out a little different, and that’s okay. Wrap with sinew three to five times and pull it tight.
- Tie the nose. Accordion fold along one edge, pivot at the corner of the triangle, and keep accordion folding along the next edge. Wrap with sinew.
- Tie the smile. Accordion fold along the long edge of the smile. When you get to the very top point of the smile and bring the fabric around, it mostly does the accordion folds for you. Tuck the folds in and wrap with sinew.
- Scrunch the rest. You can do whatever you want with the outside. I went with a simple scrunch.
Jack-o’-lantern dye colors
- Eyes, nose, and mouth: Jacquard Jet Black, mixed at 1 teaspoon per ounce of water and applied as a liquid
- Outside: Moody Fire, a new Dalula Dyes color that worked so well with this pumpkin
Ice it and let it melt for 24 hours.
Jack-o’-lantern final result
Bonus: tie dye ghost
I also made a little ghost, and it turned out so cute.
Want more folds?
If you’re looking for more fold ideas, grab my free ebook, 12 Tie Dye Folds. It’s a great next step after you’ve tried these shapes.
Halloween tie dye FAQ
How long should I soak fabric in soda ash? At least 20 minutes before folding.
How long do I let ice dye melt? I let mine sit for 24 hours.
What’s the easiest Halloween shape to tie dye? The jack-o’-lantern. It’s only a little harder than a heart, which makes it a great first shape fold.
Which part of a shape should I tie first? Start with the smallest part, like the nose or eyes, and work out to the outline.
How do I make the faces and details stand out? Tie them off tightly with sinew and apply black dye as a liquid right onto those sections before you add ice.
I hope this inspired you to make some fun Halloween tie dye. Leave me a comment if you have any questions, and check out my tie dye folds playlist [link] for more ideas.
