Naturally Dyed Knit Dress

My most recent make is a simple, fitted knit dress, perfect for spring time! 

As I mentioned in this Instagram post, I love having the ability to make clothes custom fit to my body and my style. This dress is a comfortable length (not too short for chasing a toddler around) and its fitted but not too tight. This thick ponte knit fabric from Joann is very forgiving, also not at all see through! 

One night I was itching to sew something, but I had no project in mind. I started digging through my stash, hoping to use up something that I already have, and I stumbled across this white ponte knit from Joann. 

I knew right away that I wanted to make another knit dress (my last one gets worn all the time!), however I didn't want it to be stark white. 

Luckily I've been saving onion skins and avocado pits to naturally dye fabric, so I pulled my red onion skin stash from the freezer! 

I boiled the onion skins in a big pot of water for over an hour. I then got the fabric wet with hot water and put it in the dye bath (I used my sink since my pot was not big enough for that much fabric). 

The fabric soaked overnight and the result was this beautiful blush shade! It was just what I wanted, something light and breezy other than stark white. 

Such a beautiful subtle pink color!

I am so inspired by the beautiful colors that Sara from Farm & Folk achieves from natural dyes and the beautiful quilts that she makes. 

I plan on doing a lot more research and learning all I can about natural dyes.

I got started right away with turning it into a dress! I used the same self drafted pattern I used for my last dress, serged it all together, and used a double needle for the hems. It all came together (cut out and sewn) in less than two hours! 

I am so happy with how it turned out! It will be a staple in my spring/summer wardrobe, and I might need to make a few more. 

For my body type, I have to lengthen dresses to avoid them being too short, and I often have to drop the waist (my torso is very long). I love the freedom that comes with sewing my own clothes. I get to make whatever works best for me and as a result I have a closet full of clothes I feel so great in!

My husband coaching me on how to pose

Avocado Pit Dye

I recently scored a pretty white shower curtain from a thrift store. I have saved some avocado pits recently and I knew I wanted to dip dye the shower curtain! I fell in love with dip dying last year when I transformed some dish towels and burp cloths.

Before...

After!

I referenced this blog post as I was researching the best way to dye with avocado pits. 

First, I submerged the pits in water in my largest pot (I wish I had a bigger one) and brought it to a boil. 

I then let it simmer for an hour. The pink color became apparent rather quickly and got darker and darker as it simmered. Then I let the dye sit overnight. 

Ready to go! Notice the dark pink color of the water

In the morning, I scooped the pits out of the water and brought the water back to a boil. I then got the bottom portion of the shower curtain (the portion I wanted to dye) wet. I then turned off the heat on the dye bath, submerged the wetted portion, and secured the rest of the curtain out of the way. 

I frequently moved the curtain around so that it would stay submerged. 

I left it soaking for about two hours.

I wish I had left it soaking longer! I think my dye bath had the potential to produce a beautiful, dark color because I had so many pits. 

I will definitely be doing this again! Just need a bigger pot... Such a cool experiment. I would also love to dye with yellow onion skins and tea.