{"id":45577,"date":"2025-05-29T19:00:00","date_gmt":"2025-05-29T17:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.thegreenlist.nl\/?p=45577"},"modified":"2025-11-26T14:51:00","modified_gmt":"2025-11-26T13:51:00","slug":"diy-dyeing-your-own-clothes-with-natural-textile-paint","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.thegreenlist.nl\/en\/diy-zelf-kleding-verven-met-natuurlijke-textielverf\/","title":{"rendered":"DIY: dye your own clothes with natural textile paint"},"content":{"rendered":"
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At thegreenlist.nl <\/em>we want to know everything about the upcycle<\/em> of clothes, so also about dyeing your own clothes. Not with chemical junk from a packet, of course. No, we actually want to learn to make the dye ourselves based on natural ingredients. Natural dye specialist Roua Alhalabi therefore shares her easiest recipe for dyeing clothes yourself.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

Ancient technique: dyeing your own clothes with natural ingredients<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Previously, we visited Roua's studio (read more about this visit here<\/a>) and then we learnt that dyeing clothes with natural materials is an age-old technique that is better for our planet and also creates beautiful colours. She uses natural ingredients such as pine cones, onion skins, avocado seeds, nettles, turmeric and more to give clothes a new look<\/em> to give. Roua learned this technique from her grandmother in Syria where she grew up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Not all recipes and techniques are suitable for \u2018just\u2019 trying out for yourself - of course, you can attend a workshop with her<\/a> -, but she has a simple basic recipe that is quite suitable to do at home. Cool!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Get started with a recipe to dye your own clothes with natural pigments.<\/em> Got curious? We attended three short workshops at Roua and we made videos of them. video 1: dyeing trainers yellow with onion peelings<\/a>: video 2: trousers dyed blue with indigo<\/a>, video 3: dyeing a recycled shirt<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Which clothes are suitable for natural dye?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Roua: \u2018You get the best results with cotton and wool,\u2019 she explains. \u2018It is a misunderstanding that you could not dye synthetic fabrics, such as polyester and polyamide. You can, but the result will be lighter. The most difficult fabric to dye is linen. If you are doing this DIY for the first time, my advice is to start with a simple (light-coloured) cotton garment. The clothes don't have to be completely white; you can also dye coloured clothes just fine. That can actually create a cool effect, just like clothes that already have \u2018ugly\u2019 stains in them.\u2019<\/p>\n\n\n

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Recipe to dye your own clothes with natural dye<\/h2>\n
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We dive into the kitchen. Not to cook, but to dye a garment with natural ingredients. After all, an avocado seed can turn a garment permanently pink, a rusty nail makes for a splashy purple hue and onion peels can turn a garment yellow or red. Roua knows all about natural textile dyes and shares an easy basic recipe. We share a recipe for one T-shirt. If you have a larger or smaller garment, you can adjust the quantities a little.<\/strong><\/span><\/div>\n
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Prepare<\/span>1 hour<\/span><\/span> hr<\/span><\/span><\/div>
Making<\/span>1 hour<\/span><\/span> hr<\/span><\/span><\/div>
Waiting time<\/span>12 hours<\/span><\/span> hrs<\/span><\/span><\/div><\/div>\n
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Tools<\/h3>