Natural Dyeing With Avocado Skins
Years ago a friend had been spending a lot of time in Nicaragua and he told me
that they get black dye from the avocado skins there. He knows I am a fiber artist and natural dyer and thought I might have heard of it. While I had not, I did embark on my own experimental journey to obtain this elusive black dye...
I haven't learned how to do so yet but what I have gotten is one of the most beautiful shades of gray/blue I've ever seen. My dye results have even ranged into peach and pink, depending on what pots and metals I used.
I started out by saving about one gallon of avocado skins. I soaked them in water for about one month, outdoors, in the winter. So the water would freeze and thaw, freeze and thaw. I think this really helped break the skins down and release the darker color from them.
Then, I used a mesh strainer to scoop out any avocado fruit that had been left on the skins and was now floating in the water.
I then simmered the pot with some pieces of old rusty metal. I simmered it for about one hour.
I then let the liquid cool, and poured all of it through an old pillow case to strain out all of the debris and fruit.
Then, back in the dye pot went the liquid and the old rusty pieces of metal.
In went the pre-soaked wool fiber (yarn)
Simmered again for an hour or two, let it soak over night, and the results were stunning.
To get the pinker shades I omitted the rusty metal and included some chopped avocado pits with the skins.
Avocado has since become one of my favorite natural dyes... Now if I can just figure out how the Nicaraguans get black though...
Whaaat? I love this kind of stuff. Wow. So...when I just take a few avocado skins ( How many would you say for a t shirt?) and boil them with the shirt that would also work? Do you add any vinegar? Or do you have to let them sit forever in the garden? I m scared it will rot as it doesn't freeze all the time here in holland now.
For dyeing cotton you would need to pre-mordant it with alum or iron. you need about one gallon of skins to dye an item. Thank you! You simmer the pot, after soaking them for a while. You could probably just chop them up and soak them for a day or two
Ok thanks, No clue what pre mordant is?
@clara-andriessen I just did this blog post that should answer your question more thoroughly:
https://steemit.com/homesteading/@schoonercreek/natural-dyes-nature-s-color-howto
Thanks Schoonercreek!
wow, I never would have though to try avocados, we have two trees on the land, will give it a go. I'm excited, thanks for sharing
Oh wow, to have avocados growing on your land, that is awesome...
Thank you so much for your wonderful post I really enjoyed it. I look forward to more.
Thank you for stopping by and reading!
That’s so cool! Why the rusty metal?
Thank you! The rusty metal gives it's iron to the dye and to the fiber, which does things to the color. Many times it can take a yellow to green, or a pink to blue, etc...
Science meets art!
Really gorgeous crafting! Lots of time, patience and trust to make these pieces reality. The weave and intricacy of the blue/ purple piece is just awesome. Perhaps a visit to Nicaragua or inviting visitors that know this craft to your homestead will be in your future! Blessings and love. Happy creating 🌺
Thank you! That is a very interesting idea! Who knows? Perhaps Steem could fund such projects someday!
Yeah ❤ that's what i was thinking. Who knows!! 🌺
Its a good post, you're going to be great here... Just remember to pass the word and help your fellow newbies... We are all classmates and its to our advantage to have everyone work together!
You have been resteemed as part of #newbieresteemday ... I made today my #newbieresteemday, and invite you and others to do the same. To learn more: Come Join Us!!! (Newbie Resteem Initiative)
Thank you very much! Absolutely!!
That is amazing. That is a beautiful color.
Thank you, I am also amazed!!
OMG!!! So beautiful!!!
After your previous post, I started collecting onion peels! Now I will do it will avocado also! As in my place there is an avocado abundance!
Tell me please, how long does the color stay on the fabric? Does it wash away in the machine? I might try to dye whatever fabric I find :) Until I collect my kilos of avocados (and onions!) I will figure something out
Thank you for the inspiring post! You got a resteem from me :) xxxx
Thank you so very much @purplemoon! With natural dyeing it is best to let the fiber have a nice long soak in the dye pot, over night, then remove it and let it hang to dry in the shade. That's kind of like a curing time. Then the fiber can be washed. The pieces of iron act as a mordant, helping the color adhere and stay fast. Wool is the best fiber to dye with natural dyes as it absorbs color most readily. Cotton is much more difficult and requires special preparation (except in the case of onion skins). With natural dyes some of them may fade slightly, over time, especially in prolonged sun exposure (not recommended), but most of them seem to stay quite well. Washing can fade them over time, but typically the items that I dye are things that aren't washed nearly as often as T-shirts and bluejeans, for instance- they are items that usually only need to be washed a few times a year.
Thats actually beautiful
Thank you!
That is an awesome idea 👸!
Thank you very much!