The art of avocado dye-ing

I was introduced to this a few years ago by our nanny when I asked her why she was there was a growing pile of avocado stones in our freezer and she told me about the next creative project she had lined up for the kids – and true to her word, we had two pink tie-dye t-shirted toddlers to welcome us home the following evening.

Easy to do, you can use both the stones and avocado skins, and either freeze them and use when ready, or airdry on a shelf and get creative. You can simply ‘dip and dye’ items or use rubber bands to create a tie-die effect. There’s one simple principle to remember - time increases colour intensity. So the longer you boil your skins and stones to extract the colour, the deeper the shade you’ll get (i.e. 2 hours will give you light pink (pictured), 24hrs maroon). Same applies for how long you leave your fabric in the dye mixture.

So what are you waiting for, start saving those skins and stones and give it a whirl!

• Start out by collecting your skins and stones. You need to remove all the delicious flesh from them otherwise it can affect the colour of the dye so make sure you wash them all thoroughly before using.

• There’s no single answer to how many stones and skins you need – I’d say a minimum of 3 per item, but really, it’s up to you – the more you use, the deeper the dye colour.

• Once you’ve cleaned the skins and stones, choose a large pot (big enough for the item/s you want to dye) and fill with cold water so that it will cover the clothing item completely. Add the avocado stones and skins to the pot and bring it to the boil. Then reduce the heat and let it simmer for 30-60mins. For a deeper colour, leave the dye bath to sit for up to 24hrs.

• When you’re ready to dye, wet your fabric throughout with water, wring out, and if you’re trying tie-dye, fold/scrunch your item as desired and secure it with rubber bands.

• Empty all the stones and skins from the dye pot and lower in your item (remember to be careful if the liquid is still hot). Keep them in the pot for at least one hour and up to 48hrs – until they’re at the desired shade (and remember the fabric will dry lighter than when it’s wet)

• Carefully remove the item, unwrap any rubber bands and rinse until the water runs clear. Hang the garment and allow it to dry – ideally don’t wash it for a week so the dye can take properly.

• Wear with pride and enjoy the admiring looks and the questions about how you did it!!