DIY Dip Dye Wall Hanging

Honestly, this was such an experiment! I had so much fun with this DIY project and absolutely love seeing this piece hanging on the wall in my home. There are so many possibilities of color combinations – you can really make it your own. I really enjoyed the dip dying process and overall, it was so simple to make with mostly materials I already had. To see how I created my own DIY dip dye wall hanging, follow along below!

Supplies:

I only recommend products I would use myself and all opinions expressed here are my own. This post may contain affiliate links that at no additional cost to you, I may earn a small commission.

• 1 Piece of 1/2″ x 3/4″ x 2ft Pine Wood
• Wood Stain. I used Golden Pecan by MINWAX.
• 4mm Macrame Cord
• Rit Dye. I used colors Taupe, Tan, Sunshine Orange, Black, and Navy.
• 2 Sawtooth Hangers
• Plastic Squeeze Bottles
• Large Measuring Cup
• Pencil
• Measuring Tape
• Ruler
• Saw. I used a table saw.
• Rag
• Sanding Block
• Foam Paint Brush
• Hot Glue Gun
• Salt
• Gloves
• Spoon
• Scissors
• Hammer

Step 1: Cut & Stain the Wood

Head to your local hardware store and find a piece of wood you’d like to use. I picked out a 1 1/2″ x 3/4″ x 8″ piece of pine wood.

I decided that I wanted to make my wall hanging 2ft wide so I made a mark and cut it to length using a table saw.

The edges were quite rough after cutting so I hit it with a block sander to smooth out the edges.

After your wood piece is cut to the size you want, pick out a wood stain. Mine is called Golden Pecan by Minwax. I really liked this color because it was super subtle, but I think a dark stain would look just as nice. Think about the colors your wall hanging is going to be and decided what kind of stain would compliment them!

Using a foam brush, apply the stain to the wood. It started to puddle so I also used a rag to help apply the stain. Make sure to get the front and sides. I also applied the back side with stain, but this is optional.

Step 2: Cut & Glue the Yarns

Once the wood has dried, start by making some guidelines. These come in handy when you start to glue on the yarns.

Make a line 1/2″ in from both ends of the wood. I decided I wanted the yarns to start and stop 1/2″ from the edge. If you want them to run the full length of the wood go ahead and skip this step.

Make another line 1/2″ from the bottom edge of the wood.

Next came cutting all the yarns. I knew I was going to need A LOT. So, in order to get a better idea of just how many yarns I needed to cut, I made a mark 1″ in. Then, figured out approximately how many yarns would fit in that 1″ space and multiplied it by how long my wood piece is.

I could fit approximately 7 yarns into the 1″ space and my wood piece where I will be placing the yarns is 23″ long. Therefore, 7 x 23 = 161 yarns. You will also need to decide how long you want your yarns to be. I cut mine at 3ft long.

I did end up needing to cut some extra so if you decided to do it this way, cut about 15-20 more.

After all my yarns were cut, I started to hot glue them on to the wood.

Moving little by little, place a glob of hot glue on the wood and quickly attached the yarns trying to place them as close together as possible.

Do this the full length of the wood and your canvas is now complete!

Step 3: Prep & Plan Your Canvas

Now that you’ve spent for-frickin-ever cutting yarns and gluing them to the wood, you are ready to move on to the fun part!

Start by dampening the yarns.

I also decided to make a quick sketch of what I wanted mine to look like to help with how I want to place each dye color.

Step 4: Dye Your Canvas

I started with Taupe. Note that Rit provides directions on the back of the bottle but I kind of went rogue and did my own thing – oops!

Wearing gloves, fill up your pitcher with hot water and add some salt. Like I said, I kind of went rogue, so I didn’t have any exact measurements.

Add some of the dye color. Keep adding dye little by little until you achieve the color you want. I used a rag to help test the color.

Once you have the color you like, fill up a plastic squeeze bottle.

Start applying the dye to the yarns!

I was really liking how it was turning out, but I knew I wanted more of an ombre effect at the bottom. I grabbed what was left in my measuring cup and started dunking in the ends of the yarn. This worked SUPER well if you want to achieve this look.

Then, I moved on to my next color – Tan – using the same mixing process as I did above.

For my third color, I wanted to create a burnt orange. I found mine using the Rit Dye Color Catalog which offers an endless amount of color options.

This was done by mixing 2 tbsp of Sunshine Orange and 2 1/8 tsp of Black in 2 cups of water.

For my final color, I definitely ended up doing some experimenting.

The color is 2 tbsp of Sunshine Orange 2 1/4 tsp Navy and a splash of Navy and a splash of Black. Yes, I know, not very exact but experimenting with your colors is part of the fun!

Step 5: Hang & Dry Canvas

After I was done with applying all my dye colors, I hung it out to dry overnight. I used a clothing rack and some large S hooks that I had lying around which ended up being a nice set up.

Once it completely dried, I rinsed it out and let it dry again.

Step 6: Attach Sawtooth Hangers

Add the hangers to the back of the wood. Since I love me some good guide lines, I made some here to ensure everything was level and even.

Make a line 1/2″ down from the tops edge.

Then, mark a dot 3.5″ in from both sides.

Use the line and dot to place the hanger and hammer into place.

Step 7: Hang & Trim Yarns

This step was honestly so satisfying. Hang your piece in your home and trim the ends of the yarns so that they’re even.

I used my measuring tape to help cut all the yarns at an even 3ft long.

You now have your own DIY dip dye wall hanging! I hope you enjoyed this tutorial and have a blast making your own like I did. Please feel free to leave a comment below – I would love to see your favorite color combinations!