Learn how to make a ghost tie dye design on a shirt. Follow easy steps to dye your own tie dye ghost to make your own customized Halloween tie dye shirt.
Table of Contents
When I think about Halloween, I of course think about pumpkins, bats, witches, mostly candy, but also ghosts. So for my series of Halloween tie dye shirts I wanted to make a tie dye ghost design. I love how simple, but cute it is and you can customize it with whichever colors you’d like!
This ghost tie dye is a fun way to get started making your own fun tie dye designs. I even included a printable template to make it even easier. And you don’t have to do them on just shirts, you can make these designs on any type of clothing or fabric!
And you can make these fun ghost pathway lights to line the driveway and some easy pumpkin cinnamon rolls for a tasty treat!
Note: Some links in this post may contain affiliate links, which means at no cost to you, I may earn a commission.
Don’t forget to pin it so you can come back to it later!
Materials to Make the Ghost Tie Dye Shirt
- White Cotton Shirt (Amazon)
- Tie Dye Kit with Black Dye and Soda Ash (Amazon)
- Washable Marker (Amazon)
- Rubber Bands or Zip Ties (these are the ones I have)
- Plastic Wrap
- Rubber Gloves
- Paper Towels
- Ghost Tie Dye Template (optional)
Free Downloadable Halloween Tie Dye Templates
Download these templates to make it easy to make all the Halloween tie dye shirts. Each template is on its own page so you can print the ones you want. Download it below or in the shop.
Scale them to the size you want and print them out to make it super easy to draw the design.
Download the Free
Halloween Tie Dye Templates
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Instructions to Make a Ghost Tie Dye Shirt
Before doing anything, wash the shirt to remove any chemicals or anything else that may prevent the dye from setting properly. This will help you get the most vibrant color. You can then take the shirt directly out of the wash as you’ll want it wet.
Prepare the Ghost Tie Dye Design
If your shirt is already clean, wet it. Then fold the shirt in half and draw half of a ghost design and an eye with a washable marker. You can use the free printable ghost template to make it even easier. Simply print it out and trace along the outside or put it under the shirt and trace on top.
Make an accordion fold along the line, keeping the line straight as you fold. Move and turn the shirt so that the line stays straight.
Continue to make folds in the shirt along the marker line.
Use a rubber band or zip tie to secure the shirt along the marker line.
Wrap a rubber band around the drawn eye.
Fold the rest of the shirt and secure it with zip ties and rubber bands.
Tip: If you want to continue the ghost design, follow the folds made by the first zip tie. You could also crumple the rest of the shirt for a crumple tie dye pattern.
Prepare and Dye the Shirt
Mix 1 cup of soda ash with one gallon of water. Stir it until the soda ash is completely dissolved.
Soak the shirt in the soda ash solution for 20 minutes.
(This is actually a photo of a bat tie dye shirt and a pumpkin tie dye shirt soaking, but I put the ghost tie dye shirt in shortly after!)
Place plastic wrap on the table and put on gloves.
Prepare the dye according to the kit. Squeeze black dye onto the small sectioned off eye. Be sure to only get the dye on that section as the next section will stay white.
Skip a section next to the eye, then add purple to the following section. Skip another section and add purple to that section. Be sure to get dye on both sides. You can also squeeze the dye into the shirt to help distribute it.
You want to make sure the shirt is thoroughly saturated, but not dripping.
Tip: If your tie dye kit doesn’t come with purple, you can make purple by mixing blue and red. If you want to make it darker, add a little bit of black dye (a drop or two at a time). This is how I made this dark purple.
Then dye the remaining sections black. Make sure to still keep that first section next to the eye white.
Tip: As you change colors or even while you dye, it’s a good idea to wipe up the area with a paper towel to make sure you don’t get dye where you don’t want it.
Once your shirt is completely dyed, wrap it in plastic wrap and let it set for at least 6 hours, but I recommend a full 24 hours. This will help make sure the colors are as vibrant as possible.
Wash and Dry the Ghost Tie Dye Shirt
Once the time is up, rinse it in the sink and remove the ties. Gradually increase the water temperature until the water runs clear. Then wash the shirt in the washing machine with other tie dye clothing and dry it.
Your ghost tie dye shirt is now ready to wear!
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If you make your own tie dye ghost shirt, I’d love to see it! Tag me on Instagram @ab.crafty
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Ghost Tie Dye Shirt
Learn how to make a ghost tie dye design on a shirt. Follow easy steps to dye your own tie dye ghost to make your own customized Halloween tie dye shirt.
Materials
- 1 White Cotton Shirt
- Washable Marker
- Rubber Bands or Zip Ties
- Tie Dye Kit or Tie-Dye Dye and Soda Ash
- Water
- 1 pair Rubber Gloves
- Plastic Wrap
- Paper Towels
Equipment
- Plastic Bin or Bucket
Instructions
- Fold the shirt in half and draw half of a ghost design and an eye with a washable marker.1 White Cotton Shirt, Washable Marker
- Make an accordion fold along the line, keeping the line straight as you fold. Move and turn the shirt so that the line stays straight.
- Wrap a rubber band or zip tie along the marker line.Rubber Bands or Zip Ties
- Wrap a rubber band around the drawn eye.
- Fold the rest of the shirt and secure it with zip ties and rubber bands.
- Mix 1 cup of soda ash with one gallon of water. Stir it until the soda ash is completely dissolved.Soak the shirt in the soda ash solution for 20 minutes.Tie Dye Kit or Tie-Dye Dye and Soda Ash, Water
- Place plastic wrap on the table and put on gloves.Squeeze black dye onto the small sectioned off eye. Be sure to only get the dye on that section as the next section will stay white.1 pair Rubber Gloves, Plastic Wrap
- Skip a section next to the eye, then add purple to the following section. Skip another section and add purple to that section.
- Dye the remaining sections black. Make sure to still keep that first section next to the eye white.As you dye the shirt, wipe up the area with the paper towel to prevent the dye from going where you don't want it.Paper Towels
- Once your shirt is completely dyed, wrap it in plastic wrap and let it set for at least 6 hours, but I recommend a full 24 hours.
- Rinse it in the sink and remove the ties. Gradually increase the water temperature until the water runs clear. Then wash the shirt in the washing machine with other tie dye clothing and dry it.
Daniela Kretchmer
Daniela is a lifelong crafter who loves to share her passion for crafting. Through classes or learning on her own, she likes to say she'll do pretty much any craft aside from scrapbooking. Her current personal obsessions include garden crafts, felting, and spinning yarn.
