Kitchen Dyeing Project

Giving New Life To Old Dish Towels

Do you have dingy old dish towels in your kitchen?  Are you gearing up to chop a lot of onions this week? 
Now’s a good chance to bring the two together and give them both new life! And it’s almost as easy as making tea. 

Here’s all you need to do:

1. Save all your onion skins (the more onions, the darker the dye)

2. Put them in a pot of water and bring to a boil

3. Simmer for about an hour to bring out the color

4. Meanwhile, if you’d like to create a pattern on your fabric, tie it up with rubber bands in different ways. Experiment.

5. Then simmer your old napkins or towels in water for 20 minutes to “open up” the natural fibers to be able to receive color. 

PLEASE NOTE: Make sure there is plenty of room in your dye pot for the material to float freely. 

6. Take out the onion skins with tongs and put them in the compost.

7. Add the hot cloth into the pot and let simmer for an hour or so. 

You can even let them sit overnight once you turn off the stove. In the morning they’ll be some amount of yellow or orange-y tan rust color. 

Onion skins do not need a mordant because they are naturally high in tannin, which binds of the color to the fabric, creating lasting colorfast fabrics.

*Natural dyes work best with cottons, linens or other plant materials. (If they’re destined for the rag bin, why not give it a shot?)

If you want to go for a greenish hue:

Look around the house for rusty nails or other metal things that want to rust. 

Put them in a jar with vinegar and let sit, giving it a stir or shake now and then to introduce some air. This may take a few days or more.

You will end up with an iron solution which you can add to the dye itself or put some in a bowl, mix it with water and dip your onion-dyed cloth in and watch it change color!

Other kitchen waste you can experiment with are tea, turmeric, avocados, coffee, or rust by itself.  Most of these will fade pretty quickly but will last for a bit then you can re-dye.

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Black Walnut Dye:

If you’re feeling adventurous and there’s a black walnut tree near you, collect a dozen or so nuts with the hulls on. Boil them in a 2 quart pot and break them apart. Wear gloves as they will stain your hands! (They may also stain your pot.) Follow the same steps as the onion skins. 

·      Put in some of the above rust solution to make the walnut brown a little grayer.

·      I have a rust farm going in my kitchen… I put rusty nails and other bits of metal I find into a jar with vinegar. I think it’s time for a bigger jar! 

In case you don’t have time or energy to fit in a craft project this holiday season, Circle has created beautiful napkin sets and dish towels from black walnut, madder, and marigold! Eco friendly, handmade with love, each one is absolutely unique. Click here for details.

We can mail or arrange for pick up at our New Paltz space before the holidays and would be happy to gift wrap and even include a “love note.”