Natural Tie-Dye DIY With Turmeric
Believe it or not, turmeric is a very potent natural dye that will leave a bright, vibrant yellow color. Today I’m going to be using turmeric to tie-dye a pillowcase and a sweatshirt, both of which are made of a solid white cotton fabric, which is the type of fabric that will pick up the color best.
Tools and materials:
- White cotton pillowcase
- White cotton sweatshirt
- Rubber bands
- Large pot of water
- Turmeric
- Large bucket
- Running water
Fold/twist the fabric and wrap it with elastics
For the pillowcase, I folded it in evenly-spaced accordion folds.
Then I wrapped a few elastics around the length of it.
For the sweatshirt, I simply scrunched and twisted it at random, and secured it with elastics all over. Make sure your elastics are tight to prevent the dye from getting too deeply into the folds.
Boil a pot of water with turmeric
Next, I put a large pot of water up to boil with four to five tablespoons of turmeric mixed in.
Dampen the fabric
While the turmeric water was boiling, I ran my twisted, folded fabrics under cold water until they were soaked through.
Then I placed them in a bucket.
Pour the dye over the fabric
Once the water was boiling, I poured all of it over my dampened sweatshirt and pillowcase, in the bucket.
I let it soak for about ten minutes before draining the dye. If you want a deeper color, you can leave it soaking for longer.
Rinse
I rinsed the pillowcase and sweatshirt under cold water until the water was running clear.
Lay flat to dry
I laid out my tie-dyed items to dry completely. Once they were dry, they were ready for use.
I love how these came out! The sweatshirt is so cozy, and perfect for a cool summer night around a campfire. And the pillowcase can be used to spice up a porch swing or other garden furniture. You can use this technique for anything made of white cotton, including cloth napkins, placemats, or home decor.
I would love to know which tie-dye result you like better--the sweatshirt or the pillowcase.
The author may collect a small share of sales from the links on this page.
Comments
Join the conversation
I loved the pillowcase!
Fantastic! Going to do this tomorrow with a boys white undershirt. You can use boys or men's white beaters!!!(that's what my son calls them) if you're small enough you can use boys XLrg!♡
No salt, vinegar or other kind of mordant? After a wash or two you'll have nothing but a faded stain where that vibrant yellow used to be. Even with added salt most natural dyes won't last long if washed. Our ancestors used complex dying methods for a reason.