Pigments
Here you can find more information on pigments created with natural ingredients. I have showcased the ones that that I found to work best on fabrics from the ingredients that I tested out during this project.
Turmeric
Turmeric works as a natural dye with a solid pigment that keeps the color even when the fabric is dried.
Ingredients used for pigment:
-vinegar
-fresh turmeric
-shopped boiled water
-salt
Method:
Start the process by soaking the fabric in boiled water mixed with vinegar. Chop the turmeric into pieces and place it into a blender accompanied by boiled water. Get rid of extra pieces by filtering them out. Add one teaspoon of salt. Mix well.
Spinach
Spinach works as a natural dye and appears as a light pigment. If the desired pigment is darker green you can try to use more spinach and soak the fabric longer in the pigment.
Ingredients used for pigment:
-vinegar
-fresh spinach
-boiled water
-salt
Method:
Start the process by soaking the fabric in boiled water mixed with 1 cup of vinegar. Place the spinach into a blender accompanied with boiled water. Get rid of extra pieces by filtering them out. Add one teaspoon of salt. Mix well.
Nutmeg
Nutmeg works as a natural dye and appears as a light khaki pigment. It was hard to make the nutmeg color stable.
Ingredients used for pigment:
-vinegar
-fresh nutmeg
-boiled water
-salt
Method:
Start the process by soaking the fabric in boiled water mixed with vinegar. Place the nutmeg into a blender accompanied with boiled water. Get rid of extra pieces by filtering them out. Add salt. Mix well.
Pomegranate seeds
Pomegranate works as a natural dye and appears as a light blue pigment.
Ingredients used for pigment:
-vinegar
-fresh pomegranate seeds
-boiled water
-salt
Method:
Start the process by soaking the fabric in boiled water mixed with vinegar. Place the pomegranate into a blender accompanied with boiled water. Get rid of extra pieces by filtering them out. Add salt. Mix well.
Red Cabbage
Reg Cabbage works as a natural dye and appears as a purple color. You can add baking soda to the ready-made pigment and see how the color changes to cyan.
Ingredients used for pigment:
-vinegar
-fresh Red Cabbage
-boiled water
-salt
-baking soda optional
Method:
Start the process by soaking the fabric in boiled water mixed with vinegar. Place the chopped red cabbage into a blender accompanied with boiled water. Get rid of extra pieces by filtering them out. Add salt. Mix well. If you want the color to be more blue add some baking soda into the ready-made pigment.
Coffee
Coffee works as a natural dye and appears as a khaki color.
Ingredients used for pigment:
-vinegar
-roasted coffee beans
-boiled water
-salt
Method:
Start the process by soaking the fabric in boiled water mixed with vinegar. Place the roasted coffee beans into a pot with boiling water. Boil for a long time. Get rid of soaked beans by filtering them out. Add salt. Mix well.
Blueberries
Blueberries work as a natural dye and appear as a lilac color.
Ingredients used for pigment:
-vinegar
-fresh blueberries
-boiled water
-salt
Method:
Start the process by soaking the fabric in boiled water mixed with some vinegar. Place the blueberries into a blender with some boiled water. mix well. Get rid of extra pieces by filtering them out. Add salt. Mix well.
Saffron
Saffron works as a natural dye and appears as a yellow citrus-like color on the fabric.
Ingredients used for pigment:
-vinegar
-saffron
-boiled water
-salt
Method:
Start the process by soaking the fabric in boiled water mixed with vinegar. Place the saffron into a blender or a pot with boiling water. Add salt.
Onion peels
Onion peels work as a natural dye and appear as an orange hue color.
Ingredients used for pigment:
-vinegar
-onion peels (can be easily collected from food waste)
-boiled water
-salt
Method:
Start the process by soaking the fabric in boiled water mixed with vinegar. Place the onion peels into a pot with boiling water. Boil for a long time. Get rid of remaining peels by filtering them out. Add salt. Mix well.
Red Cabbage
Reg Cabbage works as a natural dye and appears as a purple color. You can add baking soda to the ready-made pigment and see how the color changes to cyan.
Ingredients used for pigment:
-vinegar
-fresh Red Cabbage
-boiled water
-salt
-baking soda optional
Method:
Start the process by soaking the fabric in boiled water mixed with vinegar. Place the chopped red cabbage into a blender accompanied with boiled water. Get rid of extra pieces by filtering them out. Add salt. Mix well. If you want the color to be more blue add some baking soda into the ready-made pigment.
Coffee
Coffee works as a natural dye and appears as a khaki color.
Ingredients used for pigment:
-vinegar
-roasted coffee beans
-boiled water
-salt
Method:
Start the process by soaking the fabric in boiled water mixed with vinegar. Place the roasted coffee beans into a pot with boiling water. Boil for a long time. Get rid of soaked beans by filtering them out. Add salt. Mix well.
