How To Marble Tie Dye

The technique of creating a marble pattern, also known as marbleizing, is quite popular in DIY. You can marbleize practically anything, from paper to rocks, to mugs and more, so what about a shirt? Marble tie dye creates that beautiful marble pattern and it can be subtle like the one shown here or more popping, depending on the colors you choose.

For the marble pattern I am going to show you, I used 3 colors, pink, yellow and lime. I am using a white Adult Medium 100% cotton t-shirt, but any size shirt will work. The dye kit I use is Tulip’s one step dye which I love for its ease of use, bright colors, and quality of dye.

This pattern does take a lot of space to create because you need a shaving creamed area the size of the shirt. I also found that a second area next to that was necessary so you can lay the shirt down after dyeing and clean off the extra shaving cream. So…for this project I suggest using your floor (if you’re like me and do not have that big of table space). You’ll be able to see my foam tiles from my basement in the pics. A garage floor or outdoor space could also work as long as its flat and clean. Ready to get a bit messy and create something beautiful? Let’s go!

FOR MORE TIE DYE 101 BASICS: HOW TO TIE DYE: THE ULTIMATE GUIDE

TO SEE MORE ITEMS YOU CAN TIE DYE WITH THIS PATTERN: 30 THINGS TO TIE DYE

Marble Tie Dye

What you’ll need:

White Shirt
Dye Kit (Which Includes Rubber Bands, Gloves, And A Plastic Sheet)
2 Cans Of Shaving Cream (Cream, not gel)
Piece Of Cardboard (I just cut a piece from a box we were recycling)
Toothpicks Or Wooden Skewers
2 Plastic Sheets For Covering Work Surface
Painter’s Tape
Permanent Marker
Plastic/Rubber Gloves
Paper Towels/Rags
Gallon Plastic Bag or Plastic Wrap

PREPPING THE WORK AREA AND SHAVING CREAM

1. Once you’ve figured out where the project will be done, tape the plastic sheet to the floor with painters tape. Layer the second sheet over the top of the first as you do not want any dye leaking through if a hole gets created (better safe than sorry).

Taping down plastic sheeting for marble dyeing — Taping Down The Plastic Sheeting

2. Lay the shirt flat on your work surface on one side (see above pic). Mark little Ls in the corners with the pen (see below), so you have some idea of the square size that you will need to cover with shaving cream. Set the shirt aside and cover that area you marked with pen with the shaving cream.

marking and adding shaving cream to plastic sheet — Marking And Adding Shaving Cream To The Plastic Sheet

3. Use the piece of cardboard to smooth out the shaving cream on the plastic.

smoothing out shaving cream on plastic sheet — Smoothing Out Shaving Cream On The Plastic Sheet

PREPPING DYE FOR MARBLE DYEING

I have created this pattern several times and have learned that there are right and wrong ways to add the dye to the shaving cream. My first shirt looked like Easter threw up on it (pardon the visual). Not a good look. If you are looking for consistent results, here are a few tips:

Limit the number of colors to 2-4. I personally prefer 3. It puts the focus on the pattern, not the colors.
Drip back and forth in rows rather than vertical lines, diagonal or random. It gives a consistent pattern when you blend the colors vertically with the toothpick.

4. Put on your gloves and add the dye to the shaving cream, going back and forth in somewhat consistent rows. Be sure to use half, or less, of the dye as this is only for ONE SIDE of the shirt.

Adding dye to shaving cream — Adding Dye To The Shaving Cream

5. Using the toothpick/skewer, create vertical lines in the shaving cream which will pull/blend the dye lines into one another. Be sure to go in both directions, top to bottom and bottom to top.

Mixing dye in shaving cream — Mixing The Dye In The Shaving Cream

DYEING THE SHIRT

6. Start with a damp, but not wet, shirt. The shirt could be fresh out of the washing machine. If you washed it a different day, like I usually do, then just dunk the shirt in a bucket of water or sink and wring it out before starting.

7. Gently lay the shirt flat on top of the shaving cream. If you have a second person around to help, bonus! Softly press the shirt into the shaving cream to make sure all of the fabric is in contact with the dye. Remove the shirt from the shaving cream and lay it dye side up on the clean plastic.

Dyeing shirt in shaving cream — Dyeing The Shirt In The Shaving Cream

8. Scrape off the extra shaving cream from the shirt and discard.

9. Scrape off all of the shaving cream from plastic sheet and discard as well.

10. Repeat steps 2-5 to create the dyed shaving cream for the second side of the shirt.

11. Repeat steps 7-9 to dye the second side of the shirt and clean up, so you can cure the dye.

12. Once all of the extra shaving cream from the shirt and the plastic sheet is removed, untape one half of the sheet and cover the shirt to keep the moisture in. Tape down the edges so dye and moisture cannot leak out. It will take a minimum of 6-8 hours and up to 24 hours to fully cure, so the colors are the brightest.

Protecting shirt with plastic sheet while marble dye cures — Protecting The Shirt In Plastic Sheeting While Marble Dye Cures

Rinsing And Washing

Once the dye has cured, it’s time to rinse and wash the shirt. This is an important step as, if done in the wrong order or rushed, it can muddy up the nice colors and pattern you created. NOTE: Because this pattern uses shaving cream, you won’t get all of the shaving cream out until you wash it in the washing machine at the last step, so don’t worry about the shaving cream. Focus on getting the extra dye out.

13. Place the shirt in a sink or bucket (something that can get dirty and won’t stain). We have a stainless steel kitchen sink, so I use that. Rinse the shirt in COLD water. The cold part is critical because it allows excess dye to wash out slowly while not moving dye to other parts of the shirt.

14. Repeat this rinse process several times until the water is fairly clear.

15. Once the water is fairly clear, repeat the rinse process once more, but with luke warm water (not HOT). This should get the last bit of excess dye out before putting it in a washing machine.

16. Once the shirt is thoroughly rinsed, you can wash it in the washing machine either by itself or with several other rinsed tie dye items. If I’m tie dyeing a bunch of shirts, I will put up to 6 in one load. Wash on warm or cold with a bit of detergent.

17. Dry the shirt(s) in dryer or let air dry. Personally I prefer air drying as it extends the life of the dye color (as they will eventually fade a bit with washing and wear).

NOTE: Wash the shirt by itself or with other tie dye items for the next few washings before adding it in with your other clothes.