Tie dye is SO IN right now. And I am TOTALLY loving the mommy and me tie dye outfits. But I’m not going to lie—I’m not loving the idea of paying $75+ for a pair of tie dye sweats. That’s just not in the quarantine budget. 

So I set out on a Pinterest venture to find some easy DIY tie dyes that were not only easy but nontoxic and waste free. Scroll below to find three tie dye DIY that you can do at home while #socialdistancing this summer! 

Avocado Tie Dye (Pink)

What you need

• Natural fiber fabric (I used 100 percent cotton shirt, I started with an old faded white shirt I had laying around to test)
• 3-4 avocado skins and pits per 1/2 lb of fabric
• A large stainless steel pot and tongs

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Instructions:

1. First, clean out your avocado skins and wash avocado pits completely. Put your avocado skins and pits into the bottom of the pot and add enough water to cover skins/pits and the fabric which will be later put in the pot.
2. Boil the water and avocado pits for a few minutes before reducing heat to a simmer. Let the dye simmer for 60 minutes.
3. Next, remove the pot from the heat and let it sit for a couple hours with the avocado pits and skins. I left it overnight because I wanted a strong pink/maroon color.
4. When you are ready to dye, wet and wring out the fabric you are wishing to dye. If you wish to wrap the fabric with a rubber band for design purposes, now is the time to do so.
5. Remove the pits and skins with the tongs and place your fabric into the pot. Bring the dye with the fabric inside to a simmer for 20-30 minutes.
6. Remove your pot from the heat and let the fabric sit in the dye. The longer you keep it in the dye, the stronger the color – so use your judgment as to how long you want to keep it in the pot. I personally left it in another night. You can now hang dry and enjoy!

Foraging Tie Dye Style

What you need:

• Natural fiber fabric
• Your choice of a tannin rich dye such as walnuts, pomegranate rinds, acorns, pine cones or eucalyptus leaves, just to name a few! 

Instructions:

1. Complete steps 1 – 6 from avocado instructions with your foraged object of choice. If using acorns to dye, be sure to break them in half first before boiling. 

NOTE: You do not want to use a pot you would like to cook in again as these dyes may stain your pot. 

Coffee Grind Tie Dye

This may be my favorite tie dye, not only because the color is unique but it takes waste free to a whole new level!

What you need:

• Natural fiber fabric
• Coffee grinds (or instant coffee)

Instructions:

Complete steps 1 – 6 from avocado instructions with your coffee grinds. 

A few other options for tie dying using natural dyes include red onions, red cabbage, beets, artichokes, turmeric and red hibiscus flowers. While we are all stuck in quarantine, I recommend you trying these easy DIY tie dye projects!