Tips for Natural Dyeing with Avocado #1 It is best to use fresh skins and pits to achieve more intense colors. But you can also store the dye stuff either at room temperature or in the freezer until you are ready to use the pieces. Just make sure to clean and dry them thoroughly.
#2 Different types of avocados produce different color variations. I personally like to use Hass avocados. Today I'm sharing a very simple tutorial on how to scrunch dye an item of clothing with avocado skin dye.
Before we jump into that, I thought you'd be interested in this: I have a course dedicated entirely to avocado dyeing where you can learn all my secrets, make beautiful patterns on cloth and dye. Use Avocado Seed Natural Dye at 100% weight-of-fabric on alum-mordanted fiber for a strong salmon or peach shade. Avocado is sensitive to PH, and increasing the alkalinity will shift the color from the yellow end of the spectrum towards the red.
Dyepot Weekly #136 - Alum Mordants on Wool Yarn, FIRST TIME! Bonus Dyeing with Dandelions How will the color change when we dye yarn with and without Alum mordant with Avocados? Ever wondered how to dye fabric with avocado skins. Yes, that's right! Avocado skins and stones make excellent natural fabric dye. This 2-ingredient eco-friendly dye tutorial is a cheap and easy way to dye fabrics and clothing naturally without any harmful ingredients.
Plus, it's a great way to make use of the skins after enjoying an avocado. Below are my recent dye experience using avocado with alum mordant. From the top is wool fibre and below is silk fibre.
They were laid on plain cotton (cellulose fibre). They were pre-mordant with alum mordant before putting into the dye pot. Preparing the dye To prepare the dye, I simmer the skins and the pits altogether in a dye pot.
Tip #2: Mordant with Alum When using avocado skins or pits, you have to prep your materials to receive and lock in the dye. This is called mordanting. I use aluminum sulfate.
This is a food grade powder used for pickling and is free of iron or other impurities. You can find this at your local grocery store in the spices section (if you're looking for a larger amount, I get mine from here). I.
The magic of dyeing with avocados is that you don't need any mordant! The avocado pits contain tannin, which acts as a mordant and helps the dye bind to your fiber. Avocados make a great dye for yarn, wool, silk protein fibres, and cotton or linen plant fibres. Dyeing with avocados is getting more popular nowadays.
Does avocado dye need a mordant? No! Avocado pits contain high levels of tannins that act as a natural mordant to help the dye bind with the fabric for long-lasting colorfast results! Additional mordants such as alum or iron may be used at your own discretion, but they are not necessary, and will very likely alter the final color of your avocado dye.