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Nature’s color palette

Dye your textiles with coffee, turmeric, and beetroot: these natural dyes for fabric come from your kitchen!

Simmering fabric in a dye pot is a fun weekend project. You can easily dye fabric using plant-based colors found right in your home kitchen.

Author Hanna Sandström
Images Timo Pyykkö
August 20, 2025Lue suomeksi

When dyeing fabric with vegetables, the result is always a bit unpredictable. Keep the following in mind:

  • We used linen for this article, but wool, silk, or cotton each reacts differently. Note: silk and wool do not tolerate very hot water.
  • It took 30–60 minutes to prepare the dye bath. If you simmer the vegetables longer, the bath becomes stronger.
  • We left the sample swatches in the bath for 20–60 minutes. Check the color from time to time. The more fabric you dye, the more dye bath you need.
  • Additives like vinegar can affect the final color. You can increase color durability and depth by using mordants such as alum, which is available at the pharmacy with usage instructions.
Dye with fresh beetroot pieces and vinegar or use store-bought pickled beetroot juice. You’ll notice how the color adheres differently to various fabrics or yarn. Even if you’re not a fan of pink, it’s worth seeing how it transforms the material. Adding a little vinegar to a red onion bath instantly turns it a lovely red. For smaller dye projects, you won’t need the entire head of red cabbage, so plan to use the rest in your cooking. Blueberry pulp stains your fingers in the woods as well as your fabric in the dye pot. You can use either frozen berries or fresh picks from the forest.
Onion skins are perfect for beginners. They make it easy to experiment with different depths of color.
The bright yellow from turmeric is a cheerful surprise. If you don’t want a very intense color, check your swatches frequently—by the 15-minute mark at the latest. yellow onion skins are a great choice for beginners because they dye fabrics easily. You can also experiment with different timings to achieve a range of shades. Depending on the material and conditions, red onion skins might yield anything from a neutral khaki to a foresty green. Even if the color stays light, it looks unique next to bright white. coffee dyeing creates lovely brown hues; combine regular grounds with finely milled espresso for extra depth. black tea also works well.
Soak an old tablecloth or napkins in the dye pot.

Natural dyes for fabric—instructions:

  1. Pre-wash the fabric you plan to dye. If you’re just experimenting, cut the fabric into pieces about 30 x 50 centimeters (12 x 20 inches).
  2. For your test swatches, boil about half a liter (2 cups) of water and add a dye plant, such as yellow onion skins. Let it simmer for about an hour.Note! If you’re dyeing large pieces of fabric, you’ll need at least a 10-liter (2.6 gallons) pot.
  3. When the bath is dark enough, remove the pot from the heat, strain out the vegetables, and add the fabric to the 80–90 °C (176–194 °F) solution. Make sure to fully submerge the fabric and move it around for even coloring. If you like, add a mordant during the final 15 minutes.
  4. When you’re finished dyeing, rinse the fabric with cool water and hang it up to dry. If you dry outdoors, avoid direct sunlight because it fades the color.
All you need for dyeing is a large pot, some fabric, and color-yielding plants—coffee and tea also work. Turn your test swatches into napkins or a patchwork quilt.
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