DIY Tie-Dyed Dinner Napkins

Like I said a couple of weeks ago when posting my DIY Tie-Dye Easter Eggs, Tie-Dye is having a MAJ moment. I’ve been “dye-ing” to take this trend to some home decor and try it myself. Pun intended. What better time than the great quarantine of 2020?? At first, I was super intimidated by it, thinking it would be hard and a total mess. After watching a few tutorials and realizing they make amazing dye kits with everything you need, I decided it couldn’t be that hard. And it really wasn’t and turned out to be a store-bought worthy product. I chose to start with something I could use for my next dinner party (when we are allowed to have those again). Though tie-dye may be trendy right now, these cloth napkins have a classic vibe to them that can be used for years to come.

While I probably wouldn’t do this with young kids around, the mess was actually minimal and there was very easy clean-up.

See below for Step x Step Instruction on how to make these chic “Shibori” style tie-dyed dinner napkins.

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Cotton Napkins / Strings / Tie-Dye Kit

Supplies:

White Cotton Napkins
Tie-Dye Kit – I prefer neutrals, but you can get any color you heart desires.
Cardboard – I used a cut-up cardboard box as we all have plenty of those right now.
Twine/String or Rubber Bands
Scissors
Plastic Tablecloth – totally optional, I just put this down to protect my work surface. You could totally use garbage bags, too.
Saran Wrap

Instructions:

STEP 1: Fold Napkins in half, Then fold again making a long rectangle.

STEP 2: Fold one end down to form a triangle (as shown). Then fold under neath accordian style.

STEP 3: Continue this folding process to the end of the rectangle.

STEP 4: Cut cardboard into triangles about the size of your napkin fold. Place a cardboard triangle on either side and secure with the twine or rubber bands. Set aside.

STEP 5: Once all the napkins are complete, run each one under cold water to dampen. Squeeze out so they arent dripping wet.

STEP 6: Prepare your dye. If you are using the dye kit above, fill the bottle (with dye already inside) with water to the line indicated. Shake it up until all the dye dissolves.

STEP 7: Spread out your disposable tablecloth or trash bag and place the prepared napkins.

STEP 8: Using the dye bottle, soak the edges of each triangle with the dye. You can use as much or as little as you desire. Every napkin will look different and that is the beauty of it.

STEP 9: Wrap each dyed triangle tightly with saran wrap so the dye can work its magic and let sit overnight or 8 hours.

STEP 10: Remove the plastic wrap and rinse with cold water to remove any excess dye.

STEP 11: Remove twine and cardboard and reveal your beautiful design.

STEP 12: Follow manufacturer’s instruction on washing and drying.

Placemat / White Dinner Plate / Gold Flatware

Tips of Tie-Dying:

Here are a few things I learned doing this for the first-time:

If you want more defined lines, make sure all folds are shown and have dye on them. Some of mine were hidden or squished too much and didn’t receive much dye. I happened to like it more splotchy, but if you prefer differently, make sure all edges get the dye.
If you want a smaller pattern, just fold your napkins one more time to make a smaller triangle.
If you want your lines to be thicker, make your cardboard triangles a little smaller.
Make sure you really shake up the dye. There were a few bits of powder still left in my first bottle and some of the dye ended up random colors.