Upcycle T-shirts and napkins using and to make dyes

THIS IS HOW I know I’ve been cooped up with downcast distance-learning teens for too long: I spent multiple days dyeing Tshirts and damask napkins with food scraps and foraged plants from my neighborhood .

First, I reached out to Los Angelesbased fiber artist Niki Tsukamoto of Lookout & Wonderland for some tips.

“You can experiment with everything and anything in your kitchen,” she said.

Tsukamoto explained that part of the fun of experimenting with natural dyes is the transformation process. Colorless avocado pits can produce surprising shades of pink, while onion skins transform water into saturated yellow and orange hues.

Inspired by Tsukamoto, I attempted to upcycle some old T-shirts and heirloom damask napkins using avocado pits, onion skins and hot pink hibiscus flowers.

My experiments did not go exactly as planned, but it felt like a brief reprieve.

Instead of worrying about furlough days and bills, I foraged my neighborhood for hibiscus and bright yellow oxalis. Instead of wondering if my son will attend college in the fall, I boiled avocado pits and watched as the water turned red. And instead of losing sleep over what the future holds, I got lost in the process of folding and dyeing napkins using a shibori technique.

You can do it too. Here’s how.

WHAT YOU’LL NEED:

4 to 5 fresh and clean avocado pits Hibiscus flowers 2 pounds yellow onion skins White vinegar Cotton, silk, wool or linen fabric Stainless steel pots Rubber bands or hair ties

Small wood squares or cardboard String, twine or thread Tongs

GET STARTED

Step 1: Cover onion skins and avocado pits with cold water. Bring the water to a low boil. Reduce heat and simmer until the water changes color (about an hour). Remove from heat and allow to steep overnight. I soaked the hibiscus flowers outdoors in the sun all day and left them to steep overnight.

Step 2: Soak your fabric in lukewarm water using 1 part vinegar to 4 parts water for an hour. This creates a natural “mordant,” which helps the dye bind to the fabric.

Step 3: Add the wet fabric to the dye bath and simmer for 30 to 40 minutes. The longer you simmer the fabric, the darker the colors will be.

Step 4: To create a shibori pattern, fold the wet fabric back and forth like a paper fan. Fold into a square, clamp on both sides with cardboard and bind with string or twine (I used embroidery thread and hair ties) in multiple rows to create a pattern. Soak the bound fabric in the simmering onion dye bath for at least 20 minutes. Remove with tongs, rinse and hang dry.

Step 5: Your fabric is now ready for machine washing. This is when you will learn whether your dye is colorfast. My onion and avocado dyes endured but my subtle pink hibiscus dye evaporated.

Now that you know some basics, experiment with purple onions, beets, rosemary, mandarin orange peels. The possibilities are endless.