A New Field
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Recipe

Onion skin dye

One of the reliable household dyes. Brown onion skins give golden tones on wool and cotton.

Every A New Field recipe has been run in a domestic kitchen or community hall. Read the safety notes before you start and adapt for your venue.

What you’ll make

Deep gold to russet. Fairly lightfast on protein fibres with alum mordant.

Flexible slots (flex around your material)

  • Pigment

    Natural pigment / dye50g

    Coloured plant, mineral or animal matter. Yields colour in water or alcohol.

    Examples Brown or red onion skins

Fixed ingredients

  • Water · 3L
  • Alum or iron modifier · Per dye tradition

Equipment

  • Large pan
  • sieve
  • stirring stick
  • bucket for dye bath.

Refinements and variations

  • Swap for avocado skin (pink), turmeric (yellow), red cabbage (pH-sensitive lilac).

Source notes

Well-documented natural dye tradition.