Exploring Plant-Based Dyes for Sustainable Fashion: Developing an Eco-Friendly Solution for Dying Cotton Fabrics
Advisor: Ms.Quihuiz
Internship Location: Tije Fashion Studio, California
Onsite Mentor: Min Tan
This project seeks to explore the viability of plant-based dyes as a sustainable alternative to synthetic dyes in the fashion industry, specifically focusing on cotton fabrics. By experimenting with natural materials such as onion peels, avocado skins, and various plant leaves, this project aims to investigate methods for extracting and applying these dyes to create aesthetically pleasing, diverse colors and patterns on fabric. Through a hands-on approach, I expect this project to address the challenges of unpredictability in color outcomes, striving for more consistent and controlled results. The project also aims to examine how various plant dyes can be mixed to expand the diversity of the natural color palette. This exploration is significant as it addresses both environmental and health concerns associated with synthetic dyes, offering an eco-friendly solution to reduce toxic chemical waste in textile production. The research will contribute to the sustainability in fashion by providing insights into innovative, creative, and environmentally conscious methods of fabric dyeing, while also raising awAreness about the impact of the fashion industry on both human and environmental health through art.
Project Blog
Post 1: Exploring Plant-Based Dyes for Sustainable Fashion
Hello!
I’m excited to share that I will be working on a project exploring plant-based dyes as a sustainable alternative to synthetic dyes in the fashion industry. The goal is to investigate how natural materials (onion peels, avocado skins, plant leaves/flowers, etc...) can be used to extract and apply dyes, creating diverse colors and patterns on fabric.
One of the interesting challenges of working with plant-based dyes is their unpredictability. Each batch can produce slightly different results, and it can be difficult to achieve consistent outcomes. Through this project, I aim to experiment with techniques that can provide more control over the results, while still embracing the unique variations that come with using natural materials. Additionally, I’m exploring how different plant dyes can be mixed to expand the range of colors available from natural sources.
This research is important because synthetic dyes often contain harmful chemicals that contribute to pollution and pose health risks. By investigating plant-based alternatives, this project seeks to offer an eco-friendly solution that reduces the toxic chemical waste typically associated with textile production. The insights gained from this research will contribute to the growing movement toward sustainability in fashion, offering innovative, creative, and environmentally conscious methods for fabric dyeing.
I look forward to sharing my findings and raising awareness about the significant impact the fashion industry has on both the environment and human health.
Week 1: Background Research
Choosing Natural Materials
This week, I put a lot of research into what natural materials to use. Natural materials are the heart of any dyeing process. Here’s a brief overview of some of the materials I’ve explored:
Onion (Yellow): Onion skins are a fantastic source of yellow dye. By simmering the skins in water, you can achieve varying shades of yellow, from golden to deep amber.
Avocado (Pink): Avocado pits and skins can yield stunning shades of pink, making them an excellent addition to any dye palette.
Black Beans (Purple/Blue): To me, this is a pretty surprising dye source. Black beans can produce light purple or blue tones, depending on the pH of the dye bath.
Hibiscus (Magenta): Hibiscus flowers offer beautiful magenta shades, perfect for creating vibrant colors.
Turmeric (Yellow): Known for its bold yellow color, turmeric is an easy-to-use natural dye, though it can sometimes be prone to fading.
Indigo (Blue): Indigo is one of the oldest and most well-known natural dyes, producing deep blue hues. While challenging, indigo dyeing is incredibly rewarding.
Color Manipulation
One of the most fascinating aspects I found about natural dyeing is the ability to manipulate color based on environmental factors like pH levels. I learned how adjusting the pH of a dye bath can create a shifting spectrum of colors. By adding acids like vinegar or alkalines like baking soda, the color can change dramatically, offering endless possibilities in how the final product looks. Additionally, iron water can dramatically alter the final color of dyes. Iron can darken or dull colors, adding depth and complexity to dyed fabric. It's fascinating to see how something as simple as iron water can be a game-changer in dyeing projects, providing an easy way to shift hues.
Pattern-Making
I also looked into techniques for making patterns. Some of the most popular techniques include bundle dyeing, Hapazome, tie-dye, hand block printing, and wax resist printing.
Bundle Dyeing: This method involves wrapping plant material in fabric, then steaming or boiling it to transfer the color. The results are often organic and intricate, with patterns that reflect the natural world.
Hapazome: Inspired by Japanese techniques, hapazome involves hammering plants into fabric to release their color, creating an imprint on the fabric.
Tie-Dye: A classic technique! Tie-dye allows for beautiful, unpredictable results. I hope to experiment with this method and see if I can create more detailed and controlled patterns.
Hand Block Printing: This technique uses hand-carved blocks to stamp dye onto fabric, creating detailed designs. I plan to refer to Botanical Inks by Babs Behan for a recipe to make my own ink from plant materials.
Wax Resist Printing: In this method, wax is applied to fabric before dyeing, creating areas where the dye won’t absorb. This allows for intricate designs and is particularly effective when combined with cold dyeing techniques.
That’s all for this week. Thanks for reading, and I’ll be back with an update next week!
Week 2: Pattern Technique Experiments
This week, I dove into something I've really been looking forward to in this project, experimenting with pattern-making techniques: wax resist and stitch tie-dye. I wanted to share my findings from the process.
Wax Resist
Wax resist printing is a technique where melted wax is applied to a surface to resist dye or ink, creating a pattern or design by preventing the material from absorbing color in the waxed areas. For my wax resist experiment, I used candle wax, which I melted in a rice cooker.
I plan to use wax resist method with natural dyes. But during this experimental stage, I opted for watercolor paint as a substitute dye to avoid wasting the plant-based materials I’ve been collecting.
One key takeaway from my wax resist experiment was the importance of heat. The hotter the wax, the better it penetrates the fabric. If the wax is too cool, it won’t work as effectively and may not create the crisp, defined edges I was hoping for.
1st Image: Wax not heated to enough temperature, the wax does not fully soak into the fabric, allowing dye to seep in. 2nd Image: Wax was hot enough to seep into fabric leading to cleaner lines and patterns
Stitch Tie-Dye
This technique involves using thread to gather and secure the fabric before dyeing it. I experimented with both large and small stitches, discovering that the smaller stitches allowed for more precise control over the pattern.
My goal was to create a jellyfish design, but I quickly realized that stitch tie-dye doesn’t lend itself well to detailed shapes. The fine lines of the jellyfish’s tentacles didn’t turn out as I had envisioned, so I learned that larger, simpler shapes work better with this technique. This will definitely be something to keep in mind for future projects.
That’s all for this week. Thanks for reading, and I’ll be back with an update next week!
Week 3: The Natural Color Palette
This week, I explored the natural color palette and extracted as many colors as I could from natural materials.
Preparing the Fabric for Dyeing
The first step in my natural dyeing process was preparing the fabric. This is a crucial stage to ensure that the color adheres properly and remains vibrant over time. I started by washing the fabric in the usual way to remove any dirt or residues. After that, I boiled the fabric in a solution of alum potassium for an hour. The ratio was 10% alum potassium based on the fabric’s weight.
Alum potassium is a common food preservative, which acts as a mordant. By treating the fabric with a mordant, the dye molecules bond more strongly to the fibers, improving both color intensity and longevity. Without mordants, natural dyes often fade more quickly or don't produce the expected color.
(1) Burn the edges of the fabric to prevent the fabric from unraveling. (2) Washing fabric with detergent. (3) Weighing potassium alum to be 10% of fabric weight. (4) Boiling fabric in potassium alum and water for 1 hour.
Extracting Dyes from Natural Materials
Once my fabric was prepped, I moved on to extracting dyes from natural materials. I used a variety of plant-based ingredients, each offering a unique color potential. I used natural materials that I had access to around my house:
Yellow Onion Peels
Purple Onion Peels
Red Cabbage
Dried Hibiscus
Pomegranate Peels
Avocado Peels
I simmered each material in water for at least one hour, ensuring that the water didn’t boil. Boiling would cause the pigments to break down and turn the colors brown. Interestingly, I found that dried hibiscus and pomegranate peels didn’t yield much color at all. However, the other materials produced vibrant results. Yellow and purple onion peels gave warmer tones, while red cabbage offered some of the most interesting results, especially when experimenting with pH shifts (It’s in the next section!).
Testing the pH Shift
To understand how pH affects the color of my dyes, I divided each dye extract into three separate jars. One jar I left at neutral pH, one I made acidic by adding white vinegar, and the last one I made basic by adding baking soda. I wanted to see how the colors would shift with changes in pH, and I got some fascinating results!
The biggest color shift I saw came from the red cabbage and purple onion peels.
Left: Red cabbage dyed fabric. Right: Purple onion dyed fabric. (Left to right increases in pH for both)
Iron Water Test: Deepening and Shifting Colors
Finally, I decided to experiment with iron water, which I had prepared a few weeks ago. Iron water is a combination of rusting metal, water, and white vinegar. I soaked some of the dyed fabric in the iron water for an hour and was amazed by the results. The colors deepened significantly, and in some cases, I noticed a subtle color shift. I was excited that the red cabbage dyed fabrics all turned into a blue color since blue is a rare pigment to find in nature.
That’s all for this week. Thanks for reading, and I’ll be back with an update next week!
Week 4: Pigment Extraction Experiment
This week, I explored some new techniques in dyeing, moving beyond my usual liquid dyes. I focused on extracting pigment from water. I also experimented with Shibori, a traditional Japanese dyeing technique.
Extracting Pigment from Water
I’ve always been curious about making my own paints with natural materials, so I decided to try extracting pigment from water. To do this, I used potassium alum and washing soda.
I made the washing soda myself by heating baking soda in a pan. During this process, the heat causes a chemical reaction, where sodium bicarbonate (NaHCO₃) breaks down into sodium carbonate (Na₂CO₃), releasing carbon dioxide (CO₂) and water vapor in the process. This process effectively turns baking soda into washing soda. One key difference I noticed is that washing soda does not stick to surfaces as much as baking soda does.
Once I had all the materials, I combined them and filtered the mixture through a coffee filter. After drying the resulting pigment, I was able to see the potential it holds for future projects. I’m looking forward to continuing this experiment next week.
Shibori Dyeing
In addition to pigment extraction, I tried the Shibori dyeing technique. Shibori involves folding, binding, or stitching fabric to create patterns before dyeing. For this experiment, I used elastic bands to bind the fabric in various ways, creating different shapes and textures. After dipping the fabric into dye, I was impressed by how the patterns turned out—each piece had its own unique design, a result of how the fabric was tied and the way the dye penetrated it.
Results from Last Week’s Experimentation
As you know, last week I was experimenting with finding as many colors as possible using natural materials. I've finally finished compiling my binder of colorful fabrics! I redid the hibiscus one recently since it didn’t turn out well the first time, I’ll send an update about it next week.
That’s all for this week. Thanks for reading, and I’ll be back with an update next week!
Week 5: Applications of plant dye
This week I explored the applications of my experiments with natural dye.
I started by dyeing a piece of fabric using purple and yellow onion skins. Afterward, I added another layer by painting splashes of iron water over the fabric, which darkened certain areas and created organic, nature-inspired shapes to build upon.
I then experimented with some basic embroidery techniques to add texture and detail to the dyed fabric. Using rough, fan-like stitches, I created a grassy, subtle textured effect. To soften and lighten some of the darker areas, I dyed a string with yellow onion dye, giving me a pale yellow thread to work with for further embellishment.
After I finished the embroidery, I dyed a separate, coarser piece of fabric using yellow onion skins and then cut it into various flower shapes. I stitched these flowers onto the fabric for a pop of bright color and added small red beads to the centers to make them stand out even more.
As this is my first project using plant-based dyes, I’m overall quite happy with how it turned out. However, if I had the chance to do this again, I would be more mindful when working with yellow and purple onion dyes. Some areas turned out with murky colors that I would like to avoid in future projects.
That’s all for this week. Thanks for reading, and I’ll be back with an update next week!
Week 6: Resist Dyeing Experiments
Revisiting the Stencil Resist Dye Method
This week, I explored stencil resist dyeing using a homemade paste of flour and water. The idea is to apply the paste through a stencil onto fabric, creating a barrier that prevents dye from soaking into certain areas. Once the paste has dried, the fabric is quickly dipped into a dye bath, resulting in the place where the paste is to remain white, creating a pattern.
Section 1: Bread in Water
In my initial attempt, I used a cabbage-based natural dye. I followed the basic technique where I applied a flour and water paste through a stencil and dipped the fabric into the dye bath. However, the dye didn’t absorb into the fabric quickly enough. To compensate, I left the fabric in the bath longer, which caused the paste to dissolve into the dye. As a result, no patterns were left behind.
While washing bread one day, I had a thought. Bread is basically flour and water, but once baked, it holds together more firmly under water. This made me wonder: what if I cook the flour and water mixture before applying it? Would a cooked paste hold up better in the dye bath and preserve the stencil pattern?
No, it doesn’t. The cooked paste did not adhere well to the fabric, which allowed dye to seep into the areas where the paste didn’t stick. Once again, no distinct patterns remained.
Section 2: Seasoning the Flour and Water
Looking more closely at the fabric from the first experiment, I noticed slight color shifts in the areas where the flour and water paste had been. I suspected this was due to a pH reaction between the cabbage dye and the slightly basic nature of the paste. To test this idea, I decided to experiment further.
I made three separate pastes using flour and water, each mixed with a different ingredient known to affect pH or react with dye:
Baking soda
Vinegar
Iron water
This time, I dyed the fabrics first and then applied the modified pastes on top, hoping for a visible chemical reaction in the dyed areas. In my first attempt, the fabric was still wet when I applied the pastes, causing the patterns to spread and blur. For the second round, I allowed the fabric to dry completely before applying the pastes, which allowed for better results (except iron water).
(For the bottom row of images, for each image, the left is the result when I applied paste when the fabric was wet, while the right is the result when I applied paste after the fabric had dried)
The baking soda paste also formed some interesting effects after a day.
Thats all for this week, there will be more updates next week!
Week 7: Applications of Plant Dye Part 2
This week, I continued exploring the possibilities of applying my naturally dyed fabrics in creative and meaningful ways. Building off the pH stencil dye method I experimented with last week, I created a new fabric design featuring a crane pattern. I cut out a stencil of cranes, and then used a mixture of vinegar and flour to stencil dye it onto the fabric. Then, I embroidered floral details around them. One thing I really enjoyed about this piece was that the embroidery is double-sided, so it can be appreciated from both the front and the back.
In another experiment, I used hibiscus dye to create a fabric with a soft pink gradient. To deepen and enrich the color, I added some cabbage dye, which introduced subtle blue tones. From this fabric, I cut out small circles, which I plan to use in a separate piece. Interestingly, the leftover fabric after cutting out the circles had an organic, vein-like look, so I sewed it onto a piece of translucent fabric.
For the separate piece using small circles, I’m not totally satisfied with the arrangement yet. The composition currently creates a straight line, which feels too rigid and unbalanced for the flow I’m aiming for. I plan to rework this element so the layout feels more natural and less structured.
That's all for this week, there will be more updates next week!
Week 8: Iron Water Experiments Revisited
Iron Water Stencil Dye Experiments
This week, I went back to my iron water stencil dye experiments, which I first explored in Week 6. One of the main challenges I noticed back then was that the iron water tended to bleed and spread too much, making it hard to create crisp, clean patterns.
I began to suspect that the stencil paste might be too concentrated with iron water, which could be causing the spreading. So, I tested three variations of the mixture, each starting with 1 tsp of flour:
Mixture 1: 1 tsp iron water
Mixture 2: ½ tsp iron water + ½ tsp water
Mixture 3: ¼ tsp iron water + ¾ tsp water
I applied each paste onto a piece of onion-dyed fabric and observed the results. As expected, all mixtures spread — but the spreading reduced as the iron water was diluted. Unfortunately, this also led to less noticeable color changes.
I decided to explore a new direction by applying the iron water directly with a paintbrush. Although it still spread a bit, I found it gave me more control and allowed for more intentional mark-making. It’s not perfect yet, but it’s a step closer to the balance I’m aiming for.
Last Week's Fabric Rework
Last week, I wasn’t happy with how I initially arranged the fabric circles in my project. The composition felt off, so I decided to take it apart and start fresh.
This time, I sorted the circles by color to create a gradient. I then sewed them in neat, evenly spaced rows, leaving small gaps between each one. The result was a textured surface that almost resembles scales.
That’s all for this week. Thanks for reading, and I’ll be back with an update next week!
Week 9: Mordant Experiments and Iron Water Patterns
Section 1: Unexpected Results with Re-dyeing
I recently had an interesting result while re-dyeing fabric. Initially, I used a vinegar stencil paste to create cloud-like patterns. These areas turned white, while the rest of the fabric remained blue. However, the cloud shapes came out too faint, so I re-dyed the fabric.
To my surprise, the cloud patterns turned out darker than the surrounding fabric after the second dyeing. I suspect this was due to residual flour paste left on the fabric. My hypothesis is that the flour may have acted like a mordant—absorbing and holding more dye than the fabric itself.
To test this, I conducted two experiments:
Experiment 1: Flour Paste Only
I applied flour paste to create a pattern and intentionally left some residue on the fabric after rinsing. When I re-dyed it, the pattern areas did indeed absorb more dye and turned out darker, supporting my hypothesis. However, the result was quite uneven.
Experiment 2: Alum-Flour Mixture
Next, I mixed alum (a traditional mordant) with the flour paste to try for more controlled pigment absorption. While the alum-flour mix did deepen the dye uptake, the resulting patterns were less defined and harder to control compared to the flour-only version. It seems the alum altered the paste's consistency or how it interacted with the fabric.
Refinement
Returning to the flour-only method, I repeated the process using a fresh dye bath instead of the old one I had initially used. This significantly improved the result—fewer inconsistencies and a clearer, darker pattern. I was concerned that washing might remove the pattern, but it held up well, confirming that the dye had set properly.
Section 2: Revisiting Iron Water Patterning
This week I also revisited an earlier technique involving iron water. Using a paintbrush, I painted iron water directly onto fabric to create more precise, controlled patterns. To stop the iron water from bleeding or spreading beyond the intended areas, I placed a felt pad (those used in traditional Chinese painting) under the fabric. This absorbed excess moisture, helping keep the iron water exactly where I wanted it.
That’s all for this week. Thanks for reading, and I’ll be back with an update next week!
Week 10: Some Scientific Explanations Behind Natural Dyeing
Are Blueberries Really Blue?
The Science Behind Structural vs. Chemical Color
When you look at a blueberry, it appears unmistakably blue. But if you crush it, you'll notice the juice isn't truly blue—it’s more of a deep red or purple. So what’s going on here?
The secret lies in structural color versus chemical color. Chemical color comes from pigments. Molecules that absorb certain wavelengths of light and reflect others. These are the typical colors we think of in dyes or paints. Structural color, on the other hand, is an optical illusion. It’s created when microscopic structures on a surface interfere with light to reflect certain colors. This is how peacock feathers shimmer and soap bubbles show rainbows. Blueberries, it turns out, get much of their blue appearance from light scattering on their waxy skin, not from blue pigments.
How does Iron Water Change the Color of Natural Dyes?
For the past few weeks, I’ve worked with iron water—a blend of rust (iron oxide), water, and white vinegar as a color modifier. But how does it work?
1. Metal-Dye Complex Formation
Iron ions (Fe²⁺ or Fe³⁺) interact with dye molecules to form metal-dye complexes. These complexes absorb and reflect light differently than the dye alone. The result? A visible color shift, often toward darker more neutral tones like gray, blue, black, or purple.
2. Affecting PH of solution
Iron mordants also slightly acidify the dye bath. Since many natural dyes are pH-sensitive, even a minor pH shift can change the color outcome. For example, the madder root may shift from orange to red depending on the acidity of the solution.
That's all for my senior project!