How to tie dye with food scraps

You read that right. We’re making fashion out of food waste! We’ve seen all the kids wearing their tie-dye and like its 1972, and we want in on the action. But we’re not so keen on fast fashion, so we wanted to find a way to make this trend sustainable.  

We did a bit of research and found that scraps like avocado pits, onion skins and celery leaves make stellar natural dyes for all kinds of textiles. We put our avo toast remnants to the test on a basic, cotton t-shirt. It was the perfect way to salvage old clothing and make the most out of our produce. Plus, it was a super easy activity to do while we’re cooped up at home.

Here’s how we did it.

Prepping the dye

1. Bring 4 cups of water and one cup of vinegar to a boil in your large pot

2. Put your t-shirts inside and let simmer for 1 hour

3. Place your avocado pits & skins (or other food scraps!) in a bowl

4. Cover the scraps with boiling water and let sit for 30-45 minutes

5. Strain the dye through the cheesecloth and into your second bowl

1. Remove your shirt from the vinegar bath and rinse with cold water

2. Wring out any excess liquid

3. Pinch the centre of your shirt and begin twisting until it starts looking like a swirl.*

4. Keep going until your whole shirt is swirled (like a cinnamon roll) or repeat the technique in multiple places.

5. Hold the scrunches together with rubber bands

   *Bonus points if your dog sits on it.

1. Dip various areas of your shirt in your dye until it’s all covered to your liking. Note that the colour will fade a bit.

2. Rinse in cold water

3. Undo the rubber bands on your shirt and revel in your creativity

4. Hang outside to dry (and show off to the neighbours)

If you try this out at home, be sure to tag us @whogivesacraptp. We can’t wait to see what you make!