Natural Dyeing with Avocado Pits

How to Dye with Avocado Pits

When I heard that avocado pits could be used to dye natural fibers to a shade of pale pink I was intrigued. As you may know, I have been researching various natural dyes beyond indigo and I wanted to give this one a try. Today, I will share with you how I renewed a long tunic style blouse with delicate embroidery using avocado pits as dye. 

Read on to for the full results and tutorial if you would like to see!

Around our house, we tend to have an abundance of avocados in our diet. We collected several pits and skins between the 3 of us within a matter of days. I had set about 5 pits total aside in the fridge. As you can see they became a but brown, although I did refrigerate them.

I had a few household items that I was interested in dyeing, but today I am going to focus on a white tunic that I wanted to renew. I love this white Indian style blouse because it was a gift from from husband's family in India. In India, these are called kameez or kurta. The stitching is called Chikan kari and the embroidery is intricate. For some reason, the bright white fabric had become yellow over time. It is always a challenge for me to keep white textiles pure in a pristine condition.

For this project, I used a large steel pot to prepare the dye bath on the stovetop. 

Dye Bath Directions:

1. Place the pits and skins in to the steel pot and bring it to a boil.
2. Allow 20-50 minutes to boil. You will notice the water turning from a light pink to a brownish pink. My dye-bath was even a little bit yellowish, which surprised me. I tested out a few different fibers to check the color before proceeding.
3. Reduce the heat. Since, my garment is extremely delicate, I was concerned about the fabric dissolving in too high temperatures. 
4. Submerge your garment or fabric completely in the dye-bath. 
5. Allow the dye to soak in. I soaked my piece for 2 hours, although I noticed that some experts advise soaking over night. 

As you can see, I was able to achieve a soft ballet pink. In some lighting, the color is also somewhat nude or beige. As I had hoped, the white Chiken Kari handiwork did not absorb the dye but resisted it. I also love how the gold lace flowers on the blouse contrast the pale pink in a subtle way. 

The blouse is a beautiful lightweight fabric, here you can see how it looks up against the light. Now, I can look forward to wearing it again!

Have you ever tried dyeing with avocado pits before? If so, what hue were you able to achieve? Were you satisfied with the results? There are a few additional items that I dyed using this pale pink hue that I promise to share with you in the coming weeks!

As a part of my Natural Dye Series, I would like to try out madder root or turmeric dyeing next! 

Resources: 
The Modern Natural Dyer by Harry N Abrams
Botanical Color at Your Fingertips by Rebecca Desnos
Kathryn Davey: Dyeing with Avocado Pits