Materials you will need:

• Skins and pits of two avocados
• A large stainless steel pot
• Heat safe container (bowl, basin, pot)
• A strainer or sieve
• A clean white t-shirt (you could also use a bandana, scarf, tank top, whatever you like – just make sure it’s a natural fabric for best results)
• Optional: gloves for handling dyed fabric (you can also just wash your hands afterwards!)

• Rinse the avocado off your pits & stones. You don’t need to be too thorough with this - the strainer will take care of any avocado pieces that are left behind.
• Heat water on low heat in your stainless steel pot, enough for your pits & skins to float in. Just heat – don't boil! Be very careful as boiling will turn your dye brown.

• Drop the pits into the water. Tear up the skins & drop them in. Don’t forget to remove any stickers!
• Cover & let the water simmer on low heat. Check on it frequently. If the water is starting to bubble, lower the heat.

• Check on the water for color. Because plants vary & tap water can have different minerals in it, the time you will need to extract the tannin will vary as well – somewhere between 30 & 60 minutes.

• Once you’re happy with the color, strain the dye into a heat safe container.

• Repeat steps 2 – 6 with the same avocado pieces to make another batch. Do this as many times as you need until you have enough dye to submerge your t-shirt.

• Submerge your white shirt into the dye. You can either put a lid on your container to keep it warm or leave it out in the sun.

• Let it sit! Leave your shirt in the dye for at least an hour. You can leave it overnight if you want a deeper color.

• Remove your shirt & rinse it in cold water. You can let it air dry or throw it in the dryer by itself.

• Admire your handiwork! You now have a fabulous new shirt made with natural dye.