Natural Dyeing with Avocado Pits
This week I felt like celebrating my two favorite California fruits - avocado & oranges, both of which we're enjoying in abundance. A visit to the thrift store turned up some beautiful cotton & linen textiles that I knew I could use for a head-to-toe outfit. And why not AVOCADO head-to-toe?
I like to use the pits of avocados, which I save in the freezer over a few weeks or months. Avocado skins are also excellent sources of dye - just make sure that they're cleaned up nicely before freezing.
A thrifted linen shirt which had a few small imperfections, given new life in the dye pot.
~Obligatory but essential: always use a separate set of kitchen tools for dyeing and cooking! ~
When you're ready to dye, you'll start with a steamy alum mordant bath for your textiles to get them ready to take on pigment. If you thrifted your materials or are using new clothing, a wash before mordanting is a good idea, to remove anything that might get in the way of full absorption. It's good to have a set of tongs or a big spoon that can help you stir the pot to make sure every garment gets even coverage. I left my textiles in their alum bath for about an hour, using 12% WOF (120g of alum / 1000g weight of fabric, or WOF).
After the alum bath, it's time to make a strong avocado infusion - our dye vat! I gently simmered my avocado pits for about two hours. Too hot, and you'll lose some of that gorgeous pinky undertone, but end up with still-beautiful shades of tan & beige. I added in a dash of dissolved baking soda to help correct the pH of my tap water. Had I added in more, I would've ended up with a cooler, pinker color, rather than the lovely warm peach that I was aiming for - inspired by all this lovely citrus!
Add in textiles and simmer gently, gently for another hour or two. Then let them cool and sit in the bath for another 24-48 hours before rinsing thoroughly and line drying. Avocado gives clothing a wonderful, almost piney scent that I just love. It'll lose that smell after the first wash, so make sure to breathe it in before mixing the textiles back into your regular rotation.
