If there are two things you can’t escape in today’s landscape, then those are the color millennial pink and avocados. Well, Buzzfeed’s fever dream has come true today and we are combining the two. You can actually use avocado pits to make some amazing, natural pink dye!
Here’s what you’re going to need for this super simple DIY:
Avocado pits, you will need the weight of your avocado pits to be equal to the weight of whatever you are dying, so you can keep the avocado pits in the freezer while you stock up
Article of clothing to dye
Once you have all of your materials gathered, its time to start the dying process. For this DIY, I decided to upcycle a pair of white Converse high tops that I haven’t been wearing lately. Using dye to transform pieces is a great way to breathe new life into something that isn’t getting much wear anymore.
To start, put all of your avocado pits in the aluminum pot and fill with just enough water to cover the pits. Cover the pot, and place on the stove over a low heat and let sit for about an hour and a half, or until the water has become a dark maroon color.
Once the water has reached the maroon color, remove from heat and allow to cool. Next, strain the dye mixture through a fine cheesecloth. It is best to wear gloves during this part of the DIY to avoid staining your hands. Transfer the strained mixture back to the pot and allow to sit for 24 hours. This part of the dye process is very important has the aluminum in the pot will seep into the dye and allow it better dye the fabric. If you need to speed up the process, add some alum powder to the dye mix.
Once the dye mixture has sat for a day, it’s time to start dying! Using fabrics that are more natural (cotton, wool, silk, etc.) are best as they allow for better absorption of the dye. Here, you can fold your fabric in any way, such as shibori techniques, or choose to soak the entire thing. Place the item into the dye and add water to the pot until the piece is just submerged.
Place the pot back onto the stove and heat at a medium-low heat to allow the dye to heat through. Let sit for about 2 hours or longer depending on the desired intensity of the color. To create a pinker dye, add some baking soda to the dye before adding the item (this is what I did).
After dying the fabric, remove the pot from heat and drain the dye mix. Squeeze your item to remove any excess dye and allow to set for about a week. Patience is key for this step! Once a week has passed, wash the item with warm water to remove any remaining dye and allow to dry away from sunlight. Since I dyed shoes with a rubber sole, I needed to use a bleach/water mix with a rag to help remove the dye from the sole. When I was doing this, some of the bleach ran onto the shoes and removed the dye. I decided to stick with this technique and make them seem a bit more worn and rugged!
And there you go! You’re very own hand-dyed pink DIY using avocado pits! Don’t forget to share your DIY creations with me on Instagram using #connexionstyle.
How to Make Pink Dye using Avocados If there are two things you can't escape in today's landscape, then those are the color millennial pink and avocados.
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