I was introduced to natural dyeing through a workshop with KD Bird last January. We got to arrange different fresh and dried plants on silk (like madder root, purple cabbage, and turmeric, to name a few), then we wrapped our scarves up tight, and Katie steamed them in a pot for about 30 minutes. Opening the scarves up was akin to the wonder of a child opening a Christmas present as all the colors blended and swirled together, adding to the patterns that we all worked in.

From that workshop, I was interested in experimenting more with natural dyeing but didn’t necessarily have the time or money to research where people buy natural dye in the powder form, and was a little intimidated by mordants and fixers that some dyes need to be more vibrant or become light-fast (aka don’t fade as fast in the sun). But during the workshop, Katie mentioned that the skins and pits of avocados can be used to dye fabric pink!! Also, because avocados contain a high level of tannins (which act to bond the dye to the fibers) mordants aren’t needed! So I started saving my avocado pits to use for a new purpose. It was a good thing I lived in a house with 4 other avocado eating roommates at that time!

My basis of knowledge of natural dying is from Katie and all the other tips and tricks I have learned from experimenting, so please know that I might be wrong and am still learning!

FIBERS

Natural dyeing is using plants and animals to make color on fabric. In the same way, the fabric that you are dyeing must also be plant (cellulose) or animal (protein) fiber. Fabric made of plastic (like polyester, spandex, etc.) do not hold natural dye.

Examples of cellulose fibers are cotton, linen (made from flax), and hemp. Rayon, modal, and tencel are fabrics made from wood pulp which is turned into fabric. To my knowledge, they will hold natural dye, and are considered to be plant-based fibers, even though they go through a manufactured process. Protein fibers include silk, wool, Angora rabbit fur, alpaca fur, and so on.

I buy all my clothes at second hand stores like Value Village and Goodwill. But through the 2 successful dye baths that I have done, I have noticed that most shirts tend to get ultra-pigmented splotches in the armpit areas. My prediction is that deodorant left on the shirt after washing acts as a mordant that sticks the dye molecules to the fabric.

With that said, I still buy second hand fabrics. Babies/kids don’t use deodorant so those are good, cardigans, new looking clothes, yards of fabric (but you usually have to guess what fiber they are truly made of) or shirts that you will cut up and alter.

Dharma Trading is a website that I know of that sells silk and other natural fibers that is a good resource for if you want to buy new or have something specific in mind.

PROCESS

1. Store up some avocado pits! After you eat an avocado, simply clean the pit (a dish sponge works best for me) cut it into fourths, and put it in a container in the freezer. I have tried bothnfreezing the pits and simply drying the pits, but sadly, when I used dried pits, the color was super weak and was the shade of my naked, white body in the winter time.. not the beautiful, soft pink we are wanting!
2. At the same time, be stashing away fabric to dye – white/non-dyed cellulose or protein fabric.
3. Once you have enough pits and are ready to go, wash your fabric and then instead of drying it, put it in a bucket of water overnight (or even just for an hour). This allows for the fibers to be all the way soaked, which helps the dye do its thing and helps to make an even finish.
4. Place your avocado pit in a large pot full of water (I use a pot typically used for canning jars, so it’s very large). You want to gently ease the color out of the seeds, so that means heating up the water on medium heat (try not to get a rolling bowl). Let it rest at a medium hot temperature for a little, then let it cool and do that process several times throughout the day. I usually pick a day where I will be around the house/in the same town so even if I take off the heat to run errands, I can still come home to turn the burner back on. Let these avocado seeds sit over night in the pot of water. The next morning, reheat up the dye bath and put the fabric that was soaking overnight in! Note: Some people take out the pits at this point to ensure a more even dye, but I just keep mine in. I’m not a perfectionist when it comes to dyeing and I feel like the more time the avo pits are in the pot, the more tannins and good stuff are happening.
5. Repeat step 4, heating up (below a boil) and turning off the stove to let your clothes be with the dye, but make sure to stir your sopa de ropa (clothes soup) to get an even dye. If I have the time, I let my clothes sit in the pot over night, heat them up again in the morning to kill off any germs, then ring them out and line dry them. Note: avocado pits are full of surprises! First, they can dye fabric pink, and second, they smell like an earthly pine scent to my nostrils!
6. After they are semi dry to dry, I run them through the washer machine with detergent and either line dry or machine dry them. And there you go! Revamped clothing in a precious, soft pink!

TIPS AND TRICKS

+I got to say, I don’t know a hard and fast rule about how many avocados to how much clothing. I usually just go for a full zip lock baggie = one large pot of water. In the last dye bath that I did, I dyed 3 adult sized t-shirts, 1 reusable bag, 1 onesie, 1 kid t-shirt, 1 large tea towel, 1 adult sweater, and a yard or so of silk cloth. So that’s A LOT of stuff that all came out with a nice rich color!

+There are a lot of factors that go into the final shade of pink that you get from the avocado pits. What type of avocados, how ripe they were, what type of minerals are in the water that you are using, etcetera. But in my opinion, all the shades are beautiful!

All in all, THANK YOU AVOCADO SEEDS!! Nature is amazing and if we listen and interact, we will learn.