Learn how to make your very own pair of two color ombre shorts!

Step 1:

Materials:

Shorts (or shirt, or pants, or pants, or skirt, or whatever else you want to dye)

Dye (I used this, but any type of dye suitable for tie dying will work just fine. You can generally find the Tulip kits and individual dyes in craft stores and some big box retailers.)

Plastic wrap

Gloves (optional)

Special note about dyes: Rit Dye is popular, but I would not recommend it for this particular tutorial, or any tie dying in general. I learned this the hard way. If you do choose to use it you must follow the package instructions versus my instructions here.

Here are the shorts I am transforming. You want to start with something white, or very light in color for best results.

Step 2:

Step 1: Cover your work surface in plastic wrap. Be sure to overlap the pieces of plastic wrap so the dye can’t seep through.

Step 3:

Step 2: Prepare your dye and garment to be dyed according to package instructions. This typically involves adding water to the dye and submerging the garment in water.

Step 3: Lay your shorts out on the plastic wrap and begin applying the dye. The colors and placement are up to you. I wanted mine to fade from yellow to pink, and I wanted the pink covering most of the bottom since I don’t do so well with light colored clothing, so I covered the top 1/3 of my shorts with the yellow dye. To make sure both sides are fully saturated you’ll have to flip them over.

Step 4:

Step 4: Saturate the bottom 1/3 with the second dye, in my case, hot pink.

Step 5:

Step 5: Wrap the shorts up in plastic wrap carefully, so no dye can seep out, and be careful not to get any dark dye on the light parts.

Step 6:

Step 6: Let the shorts sit for as long as the package directions state. Mine said 4-24 hours, so I opted to let them sit for a full 24 hours. Typically the longer they sit the more vibrant the colors will be.

Step 7: Rinse and wash the shorts/garment according to the instructions. Usually you’ll rinse them in warm/cold water until the water runs clear and then wash them in mild detergent.

Voila…You have a new pair of shorts.