Onion Skins

Description

Sold in 50g packages.

Onion skins are such a beautiful dyestuff and gift from the kitchen. They are often one of the first natural dyestuffs used with new dyers and in classrooms. We remove the brown papery peels when we’re cooking and tuck them away until we have enough for a dye bath. In the dye pot, the smell of onions evoke a pot of soup simmering on the stove. The color yield is a warm gold to rust to green and depends on the onion skin color, how much you use and if you use iron in the dye process.

Onion skins also make a great abstract pattern when eco-printing and impart a warm golden tone to fabrics, especially wools and animal fibers. On cotton and other plant fibers, the color yield is lighter. The addition of iron as a post bath will yield rich olive green shades.

We are offering a selection of red or yellow (or both!) onion skins, gleaned from farmer’s fields, grocery store bins and from garden harvests. Use them at 30% on the weight of fiber (WOF) for light colors all the way to 100% WOF for the richest shades, and have extra fibers on hand for exhaust dye baths. For more detailed instructions, please visit our how to page.

Supplies are seasonal and limited.