Dyeing with Avocado (Persea americana)
“The older you get the better you get, unless your and Avocado”
A popular kitchen waste dye is avocado. It is considered a Millennial Pink. It is another easy dye due to its high tannin content, found in the highest quantities in the pits. The peel creates a dusty blush dye and the pits give a deeper pink dye.
Avocados were used for making ink by the conquistadors. By watching the indigenous Americans, the conquistadors discovered that avocado seeds produced a milky liquid that turned red when exposed to air. They then used this as a natural ink, and some documents written with it are preserved to this day. Many of these works reside in the archives of Popayán in Columbia. Also, the Kuna people who have lived in northeastern Panama and the neighbouring San Blas Islands since pre-Hispanic times, mention the use of avocado to dye fabrics in their creation story. But traces of alpaca and llama wool dyed with avocado seeds have been unearthed in archaeological sites as well, notably in the Andean highlands where the Aymara and Quechua people have resided. Recently they have become a popular dye thanks to the research of Rebecca Desnos and her soya milk and avocado dying.
Due to the pits’ high tannin content, they make another great dye for beginners because a mordant isn’t necessarily required. Because tannins work similarly to a mordant in the sense that they assist dyes to adhere to the fibre. However, if you wish to improve the colour-fastness of the dye a mordant is recommended.
Avocado dye Recipe:
Avocado pits and skins - 200% WOF (weight of fibre) for deep shades or 100% per WOF for lighter shades.
Thoroughly wash the skin and pits and place the whole pits and skins into your dye pot and cover with enough water to allow your fabric to move freely.
Bring the dye bath to a simmer and hold at a low simmer for up to 1hr, or until you are happy with the strength of colour. Do not over heat (2 hrs max) or boil as this will turn your dye from a pink colour to an orange brown coloured dye.
If you are wanting a slightly deeper colour leave the skins and pits to cool and soak overnight.
Strain out the avocados and added the used avocado to your compost.
Add your pre-mordanted, wet fibre to your dye bath and slowly warm the bath. Be mindful that to obtain good pinks don’t overheat your dye bath.
Stir the fibre frequently to ensure an even dye on your fibre.
When you are happy with the colour remove the fibre from the dye and gently wring out the excess liquid.
Rinse your fibre in lukewarm water and pH-neutral soap and hang to dry away from direct sunlight.
Dye Garden
Growing avocados isn’t too difficult. If you can grow a lemon, you can grow an avocado. Plant your avocado in mid to late Spring when the soil temperature is warmer and the weather is improving.
Site selection is critical to success. Avocados grow best in a sunny spot with well-drained soil. They also need protection from strong winds and frosts, especially when they’re young.
Once established, they can withstand frosts to -2C and are tolerant to salt.
Avocado trees need a bit of room to grow. If you leave them to their own devices, they can eventually grow up to 12m high and 6m wide. Grafted trees will produce fruit after four to seven years.
Avocado trees have an unusual arrangement with their flowering and are classified into ‘A’ type and ‘B’ type varieties. While they can self-pollinate, they’ve developed an odd method of achieving genetic diversity. The plant flowers have both male and female flowers on the tree, but only one gender is active at a time.
Dry your clean skins and pits in a cardboard box, any green not scrubbed off can spoil your pink colour. You can freeze the skins and pits or keep in a paper bag in a dark place.
