Natural Dyeing: How to Dye with Avocado Stones
I have put together a simple tutorial for you on dyeing with avocado stones. Some of you may be familiar with this dye but for those of you who aren’t you might be surprised to know that avocados can give the most beautiful shade of pinks & corals. If you have read my previous articles you will be somewhat familiar with preparing your fabric also know as “scouring” & also with “mordanting” adding something to help fix the colour to the fabric.
The beauty with this ingredient is that avocados are high in tannic acid which acts as a natural mordant, binding the colour to the fibre without the need to add anything else. Again don’t get caught up on ratios or quantities, just use what you have & enjoy the process. Before you get started you will need to wash your fabric to remove any oils or residue. The linen sold on fabric store as “FS Bleached Dye Ready” has already been prepared for dyeing so all you will need to do is rinse in the machine with 1tsp of dish soap.
Materials
Water
Gloves
Strainer
Heat source
Wooden Spoon
PFD (Prepared for Dye) Linen to Dye
4 -9 cleaned avocado pits
A big Pot ( big enough to hold whatever you’re dyeing)
Container or bucket to pre-soak your fabric after it has been washed & before it is added to the dye pot
Steps
1. Pre-wash your fabric in your washing machine using 1 tsp. of any of the following, soda crystals, baking soda, baking powder or dish soap. If you are using Fabric Store linen just rinse with 1tsp dish soap per meter.
2. Once your fabric is washed let it sit in a container of water to make sure the fibres are soaked through before adding to the dye pot.
3. Fill your pot with enough water, I always like to fill 3/4 way.
4. Wash your avocado pits ( removing any fleshy bits that may have stuck to the stone ). Add the whole pits to your pot; the more you add, the darker the colour.
5. Bring to a low boil, then reduce to simmer. Simmer until the avocado pits begin to turn the water to pink and then a deep maroon, should take anywhere between 40 minutes -2.5 hours depending on your stones.
6. Once your water starts to change colour and the dye is released let the dye gently simmer for 30 – 1 hour.
7. Remove the stones from your pot & add your pre-soaked/wetted fabric. This can be done with the heat on or off. I like to start with the heat on a low simmer for at least 30 minutes then I turn the heat off. For strong colours turn off the heat & leave the fabric in overnight. The longer the fabric soaks, the stronger the colour. If you want soft subtle colours, leave your fabric in until you like the colour you see.
8. When the material reaches your desired shade, let it cool & carefully remove it from the dye pot. Rinse with a gentle fabric soap & hang to dry.
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About Author
Kathryn Davey
Kathryn is a natural dyer based in Dublin, Ireland. She runs a successful studio producing a range of plant-dyed accessories & homewares. Kathryn also teaches ongoing natural dye workshops in Dublin, London and elsewhere.Leave a comment
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18 Comments
I Trigonis
Thank you,, Kathryn, for generously sharing this technique with us. I will try it!
Adrielle Hanes
I’ve seen another tutorial on this but it included the skins.
Do you know whether the skins dull the color, have the same effect, or are not actually adding to the dyebath?
Margo Wendt
Hello Adrielle(
I’ve used Avocado Pits to dye both cotton and linen fabric as well as wool yarn. Each came out a soft pinkish peach, very lovely. I’m going to use a combination soon to dye natural off-white wool yarn. I plan to use it to represent seashells in a colorwork sweater?
Fiona Tavernier
I have done a little bit of natural dying, but not yet with avacado pits. Loving this color!
Janice Ward
Hello Kathryn, I will be test dyeing some linen soon. I have sewn for myself 2 tops which I have not hemmed yet. On my sample piece of fabric I hope to sew some rows of stitching. I want to see if the thread will pick up the dye color or if it will remain white. My question for you…once I have done a test, can I reuse the same dye water to dye my garment?
I look forward to your response,
Janice
Kate Sweet
Hi Kathryn: I have never tried dyeing with anything but Rit but I have saved a bunch of avocado pits and I’m ready to start. Question: Could a crock pot be used to stew the avocado pits over night? And, have you ever tried using mistletoe? We have a ton of it around and it seems like it would make a yellowish color.
Carolyn Ferrell
The fabric came out a lovely pink but the color is not even. The material was washed and soaked prior to use and I stored the out many times during the process to move the fabric around. Any suggestions for more even coverage?
Carolyn Ferrell
The fabric came out a lovely pink but the color is not even. The material was washed and soaked prior to use and I stirred the pot many times during the process to move the fabric around. Any suggestions for more even coverage?
Kathryn Davey
Hi there, I am sorry to hear that your colour wasn’t even. That could be due to a number of reasons, how old the fabric is, how you cleaned it, what type of fabric you used and what it is made of ( 100% pure content or mixed ). I would recommend spending extra time “scouring” your fabric. I will be doing a more detailed post on this soon & if you have more questions please feel free to get in touch through my website x Kathryn
M. Chesebro
Thank you! I was able to download the tutorial. YEA!
Now a question–may the stones be somewhat older, rather than fresh? I don’t believe I’d have need of even four avocados at one time. Thank you.
Have a lovely and healthy weekend.
Kathryn Davey
Hi there, happy to hear the downloading issue was fixed. Yes, you can use both old and fresh. I would recommend storing avocado stones in your freezer until you have gathered enough to dye with x Kathryn
Elizabeth Nolfe
Is the process colorfast? Will the color fade or bleed when washed?
Kathryn Davey
Hi there, that’s a great question, like all natural dyes, the colour will wash out slightly in the first few washes. However, it is colourfast. All dyes will gradually fade over time, some more than others but you can always ready if it gets too faded for your liking. x Kathryn
Margo Wendt
Thanks so much for this great tutorial! I love using natural dyes on natural fibers. I‘’be enjoyed using Indigo Cochineal, Elderberries, Pokeberries, Cutch, Walnut Hulls & a couple others. Last fall, our Ozark Fiber Guild held a Natural Dye Party. It was a lot of fun & my favorite result came from using leaves of Lily of the Valley to obtain a wonderful soft peach! I am looking forward to trying some Logwood &.no of course, Avocado Pits, ???
Kathryn Davey
Hi there, you’re so welcome. Its sounds like you have tried lots of different dyes & I can’t believe you have even been to a natural dye party! I want to go to one of those 🙂 Happy to hear you are excited to try avocados & logwood is an incredible dye, have fun with your experiments & thanks for your lovely comment x Kathryn
M. Chesebro
Good Morning. I am intrigued by the process. I tried to download the tutorial, but I receive a error message. Thank you for your attention in this matter. Have a lovely day.
Kate Posa
I tried as well with the same message. Thanks, Kate
Kathryn Davey
Glad to hear you were able to download x Kathryn