Avacado Pitt Dye
Friday, January 26, 2018
Simmering
The end result!
I love being able to use things found in nature for dyeing. I had been wanting to try Avacado pitts so I've been saving them in the refrigerator for a few weeks.
I finally got around to it and I must say the results are fabulous.
I first cleaned and carded some white fiber. I had 9 pitts saved but I decided to go with 7 and hold back a couple. I know the more you throw in the dye pot the deeper the color saturation but as this was my first go of it I wasn't sure what to expect.
I have a large enamel pot that I've dedicated to dyeing so into the pot went the 7 pitts and enough water to cover my fiber. I brought the water to a boil and then turned it down to a simmer after a few minutes. I let it steep for 45 minutes. The water was a deep pink color. While the water was steeping I filled the sink with some warm water and added the fiber. I also included a piece of silk as I have plans to nuno felt. Avacado pitts contain tannin so I did not need to add a mordant. I was getting anxious so I removed the pitts and in went the fiber and silk. I continued at the low simmer for about another 40 minutes then turned it off and just let it cool down. I left it sitting overnight and in the morning removed the fiber and silk and rinsed it out. The result is a beautiful dusty pink color. The picture doesn't really do it justice.
Now for some felting fun!!
I finally got around to it and I must say the results are fabulous.
I first cleaned and carded some white fiber. I had 9 pitts saved but I decided to go with 7 and hold back a couple. I know the more you throw in the dye pot the deeper the color saturation but as this was my first go of it I wasn't sure what to expect.
I have a large enamel pot that I've dedicated to dyeing so into the pot went the 7 pitts and enough water to cover my fiber. I brought the water to a boil and then turned it down to a simmer after a few minutes. I let it steep for 45 minutes. The water was a deep pink color. While the water was steeping I filled the sink with some warm water and added the fiber. I also included a piece of silk as I have plans to nuno felt. Avacado pitts contain tannin so I did not need to add a mordant. I was getting anxious so I removed the pitts and in went the fiber and silk. I continued at the low simmer for about another 40 minutes then turned it off and just let it cool down. I left it sitting overnight and in the morning removed the fiber and silk and rinsed it out. The result is a beautiful dusty pink color. The picture doesn't really do it justice.
Now for some felting fun!!
