Tie-Dying With Plant-Based Dye

Got fruits and veggies on the edge of expiration? Want to add a little bit of color to your old, white dish towels or reusable bags? Try making some plant-based dye and experimenting with tie-dye! 

I love the concept of tie-dye, but I don’t love how unsustainable tie-dye kits are. So, I experimented with different plants and made my own plant-based dyes. Making plant-based dyes are a great way to find a use for expired fruits or vegetables, and it’s a super fun activity for your whole family. 

The tie-dying process is pretty simple, but it can be a little messy and take a couple days, so plan accordingly. 

eco-friendly plant-based dye

Materials Needed: 

• A large pot  

• Hot plate (a stove works too!)

• Rubber bands 

• Squeeze bottle 

• Iodized salt  

• Strainer 

• Ladle/ Large stirring spoon

For the dyes: 

• Turmeric for yellow 

• Beets for pink 

• Blueberries and blackberries for purple

• Purple Cabbage for blue 

Directions: 

This whole process is fairly simple and easy, but it can take a day or two to complete the project. So, to make the most use of your time, start by boiling some water with salt. Next, place your untreated white clothes—or whatever you want to dye—in the boiling water. Use a ladle or large stirring spoon to make sure the clothes are completely immersed. 

This step helps your clothes “hold” the dye better. Note that some clothes may be pre-treated for dying, and this step won’t be necessary. The lovely pair of Hammie’s shorts we dyed are pre-treated, so we didn’t have to boil them beforehand. 

Next, you’re going to hang your boiled clothes out to dry or simply throw them in the dryer. While your clothes are drying, you’re going to begin preparing your fruits and veggies for the dye. 

Cut up your desired fruits and veggies. Refer to the materials section to see the colors that each plant makes. For the beets, turmeric, and purple cabbage, you want to cut up each vegetable into smaller pieces, so that you get a more vibrant color. This step is not necessary for the purple dye (blueberries and blackberries). 

Now, in separate batches, you’ll start making each dye. Put your veggies or fruit in boiling water until you get the desired shade of dye you want. Note that the longer the fruits/veggies boil, the more vibrant and concentrated your dye will be.

Our first dye experiment

After you’ve boiled your fruits and veggies, strain out the fruits and veggies while saving the dye. Let the dye cool for 30 minutes, and then you can pour the dye into squeeze bottles.  

Hopefully, by now your clothes will have dried so that you can begin tie-dying them! 

Use rubber bands to section off parts of the clothes. If you don’t know how to section off your clothes with rubber bands for tie-dying, check out this tie-dye design guide that we used. Now, hang your clothes out to dry. Don’t put them in the dryer, the designs will bleed.  

Wait until your clothes are completely dry, and then wash and dry them to set in the color. And that’s it; now you have some unique, DIY pieces to add to your wardrobe. 

In LOVE with the hand-dyed Hammies