If you’ve been wanting to try Christmas tie dye projects, this adorable gingerbread man towel is the perfect place to start. You can use this same fold on a t-shirt, tote bag, or flour sack towel, and the results are so cute for gifting, decorating, or selling in your shop.
In this tutorial, I’ll walk you through tracing, folding, tying, dye placement, ice dyeing, and rinsing—all step by step. This is a beginner-friendly design that still looks impressive once it’s finished!
Prefer to watch this tutorial instead? Here’s the YouTube video!
Materials You’ll Need
• Cotton towel or t-shirt
* Crayola washable marker (don’t use off-brand “washable”—they don’t wash out!)
* Gingerbread man template printed on 8.5×11 paper
* Sinew and sinew puller
* ProChem Chino (for the brown gingerbread color)
* Dharma New Emerald Green
* Dharma Dyna-mite Red
* Liquid dye bottles
* Ice
* Gutter or elevated dyeing surface for gravity dye
* Small pool noodle (for keeping ice from falling out)
Tip: Right click this image to save!
Step 1: Trace the Gingerbread Man Outline
Fold your towel in half, or if you’re working on a t-shirt, locate the center front. Tape or hold your printed gingerbread man template in place and trace it using a Crayola washable marker. I always recommend Crayola because it reliably washes out—Amazon off-brands often do not.
Step 2: Accordion Fold the Outline
Once the shape is traced, start accordion folding along the line. Take your time around corners—manipulating the fabric to maintain a straight fold will give you sharper edges. If you’ve ever folded a heart for tie dye, this method will feel familiar.
When your fold is complete, wrap sinew directly along that traced line. Wrap it three to five times and pull it tight. Rubber bands won’t give you that crisp white outline—sinew is the key to a well-defined Christmas tie dye shape.
Step 3: Add the Dye
For the gingerbread man, I used liquid dye instead of powder because liquid gives a more solid, even brown. The color here is Chino from ProChemical & Dye.
Next, apply New Emerald Green beside the brown, then leave a little white space before applying Dyna-mite Red at the bottom. A little red goes a LONG way—if you add too much, your white space will turn pink as it melts.
Step 4: Ice Dye the Background
This project was done inside a gutter using a gravity setup. I placed a small pool noodle at the bottom so the ice wouldn’t slide out once the gutter was tilted.
Only add ice to the green and red sections—not over the gingerbread man itself. Since the brown is a liquid dye, it doesn’t need ice to activate.
Step 5: Let It Batch & Rinse
Let the ice melt completely before rinsing. Start with cool water to flush out the excess dye, then switch to hot.
Red dye is notoriously difficult to rinse out—Dyna-mite especially! I needed two rounds of Dawn dish soap before it finally cleared, plus a hot cycle in the washing machine.
Finished Result
This holiday project turned out so cute—a perfect little gingerbread man set against festive red and green. It’s such a fun and unique take on Christmas tie dye, whether you’re making gifts or adding to your seasonal décor.
More Christmas Tie Dye Ideas
If you’re in the mood for more holiday projects, try these next:
Tie Dye Christmas Tree Tutorial
Candy Cane Tie Dye T-Shirt Tutorial
How to Tie Dye With Black (Great for outlines and contrast!)
Download My Free Printable
If you’re new to tie dye (or even if you’ve been doing it for years!), grab my free printable ebook: 12 Tie Dye Folds Every Dyer Should Know.
Click here to download it now.
Final Thoughts
This gingerbread man towel is an easy and festive way to add handmade charm to your holiday season. Once you learn the fold, you can make matching sets, shirts for siblings, or even sell them during your holiday drops. If you enjoyed this project, check out my other Christmas tie dye tutorials linked above!
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