natural textile dyeing
lesson plan by learning coordinator victoria brill
give your wardrobe a fresh, sustainable new look by up-cycling old clothes through these natural textile dyeing techniques! using fruits + veggies found right in your kitchen, this lesson plan will teach you the basics of creating + applying your own natural dyes to your favorite textiles. read through all of the steps before beginning!
ages 12 and up
supplies
2 medium to large pots
strainer
knife
measuring cup
gloves
water
salt
vinegar
plant ingredients (see below)
what can be dyed?
any light-coloured (preferably white) natural fibers will take natural dyes. t-shirts or cotton dresses are some ideas, but you don't have to stop with clothing. towels, sheets, + even paper can be naturally dyed!
what can be used as a natural dye?
the coolest part about natural dyes is that the ingredients you need are likely right in your backyard or kitchen. here are just a few plant materials you can use (+ the colors you’ll get with each).
how to get started dyeing
prepare the dye bath
chop your veggies or fruits into small pieces, measure them, + place them in a medium to large pot.
add twice as much water as ingredients (if you have two cups of plant material, add 4 cups of water).
keep in mind that you will need enough dye so that your chosen fabric can swim around in it freely.
bring your mixture to a boil, + then simmer for one hour.
strain off the hard materials + keep the “dye” in your pot. this will become your dye bath!
keep in mind that the longer you let the materials sit in the water, the stronger your dye will be. if you have time, you can even let it soak overnight (without heat) to get a really concentrated solution.
prepare the fabric with a fixative
you have to prepare a fixative, also called a mordant, to adhere the color to your fabric. this will “fix” the dye into the fibers of your fabric, preventing the color from washing out.
for fruit dyes: 1/2 cup of salt and 8 cups of water
for veggie dyes: 1 part vinegar and 4 parts water
place your fabric + solution into a pot, bring to a boil, + then let simmer for one hour.
once the hour is up, carefully rinse your fabric in cold water.
gently wring out the excess water from the fabric.
if you want to add a unique pattern to your fabric, see the dyeing techniques section below before moving on.
dye the fabric
put on gloves (this will prevent you from dyeing your hands) + dunk the wet fabric into your dye bath. there should be enough dye so that the fabric can swim around freely.
simmer your dye bath for at least an hour. for a darker shade, leave your fabric in the dye bath overnight without heat.
finally, rinse your fabric under cold water until the water runs clear.
hang to air dry or run the fabric through a dryer by itself to further set the dye.
the color of the fabric will lighten when dry.
dyeing techniques
tie-dyeing
additional supplies
rubber bands
there are three main techniques used for tie-dyeing: bull’s-eye effect, stripe effect, + circle effect. below are the basic steps to create each unique pattern. remember, these are not strict rules, + experimentation is encouraged!
bull’s-eye effect
lay your fabric flat, pinch the middle + pull up.
wrap rubber bands around the fabric, spacing them out as much as you want.
the more places you tie rubber bands + the tighter you wrap the fabric, the more white space will be left when you dye it because the dye won’t be able to penetrate those areas fully.
circle effect
lay your fabric flat, pinch pieces of fabric + tie it off with rubber bands.
repeat until the fabric is covered in little rubber banded pockets.
the less fabric you wrap, the smaller the resulting circles will be.
stripe effect
lay your fabric flat + begin folding it like an accordion.
wrap rubber bands around your fully folded fabric.
the more places you tie rubber bands + the tighter you wrap the fabric, the more white space will be left when you dye it because the dye won’t be able to penetrate those areas fully.
once these steps are complete, return to step 3 (above).
pole dyeing
additional supplies
twine
rubber bands
cylindrical object (e.g. glass jar or pole)
wrap your fabric around your cylindrical object + secure it at the top with a rubber band.
tie the twine to the rubber band + start wrapping it tightly around the fabric.
after a couple of inches, put on another rubber band to keep the twine from unraveling as you scrunch up the fabric.
continue this process until the fabric is completely wrapped.
once these steps are complete, return to step 3 (above).
fold dyeing
additional supplies
rubber bands
begin by accordion folding your fabric in one direction.
the larger the folds, the bigger the pattern will be.
next, fold one of the corners to create a triangle.
accordion fold the triangle until you reach the end.
secure your folded fabric with a rubber band.
once these steps are complete, return to step 3 (above).
low water immersion
additional supplies:
small container
scrunch up your fabric + tuck it tightly into a small container for dyeing.
the more tightly packed, the more mottled the result will be due to the dye’s inability to reach all parts of the fabric.
bring your dye to a boil + then pour it over the fabric in its smaller container.
let the mixture sit for about a half hour, moving it around occasionally for a more even color.
the more you move around the fabric, the less mottled it will be.
after a half hour or so, rinse the fabric with warm water, then cold, until the water runs clear.
hang to dry.
once you are comfortable with this process, experiment with low water immersion by using one or more colors, + different container sizes for varying dye results.
ombre dip-dye
to create the ombre gradient, the top of the fabric will be in the dye the least amount of time + the bottom will be in the longest.
while wearing gloves, hold onto the top corners of the fabric and dip it all the way into your dye for a couple of seconds.
if you want white to show, or if you want to add a second color later, don’t dip it all the way in.
using a smooth up + down motion, dip your fabric back in + out of the dye bath.
continue to move the fabric in small up + down motions as you slowly pull the fabric further out of the dye, creating a smooth gradient.
for more defined lines between shades of color, hold it still at various levels.
the bottom part of the fabric will be in the dye about half an hour total.
keep in mind that the color looks darker when the fabric is wet.
when you are happy with the color, rinse the fabric with warm water, then cold, until the water runs clear.
hang to dry.
once you are comfortable with this process, experiment by adding another color for a two-toned ombre!
after rinsing, repeat the process, this time dipping the other end into the second color.
dip the fabric into the dye like before, overlapping the color to blend them together.
finally, rinse the fabric + hang to dry.
be sure to share your naturally dyed textiles by using the hashtag #dcfromhome