How to Dye Fabric and Yarn with Onion Skins (Natural Burnt Orange)

Materials & tools you'll need

Step 1 — Save the onion skins

As you use your onions, peel off the dry, papery skins and put them in a freezer bag in the freezer. They'll keep forever, and it's a good way to leave less waste behind. Use only the dry outer paper. Once that's off, the layer underneath is yellow and translucent, and it gives very little pigment. Wet or inner skins also make your house smell strongly of onion. About one to two bags of onions' worth of skins makes a really potent dye. The batch in the video used the skins of two medium yellow onions and four or five small purple shallots, and the colour was still rich. Once you've finished dyeing, the skins can go in the compost.

Step 2 — Simmer and strain

Crunch the skins up a bit to break up any extra dry bits, then put them in a pretty big pot so there's plenty of room for the water to move around them. Cover them with a ton of water, more than you think you need, because a lot will evaporate as it cooks. Turn the heat to maximum until it comes to a really vigorous boil, then turn it down to a simmer and cook for just over an hour. That pulls the orange and yellow pigments out of the skins. Set a strainer over a bowl, pour the skins through, and use a ladle to push out any extra liquid. The dye will look like a beautiful amber, a more muted orange-yellow than the colour you'll end up with.

Step 3 — Pre-soak and soak your fabric

It's always good to pre-soak whatever you're dyeing. Plain cool or lukewarm water is fine, and the pieces in the video had a warm soak. Put the wet items in a big glass container and pour the strained dye over them. Leave it on the counter for three to four hours so the fabric can absorb as much pigment as possible. The pieces in the video sat overnight, and the colour came out rich and even. This works on anything you'd like to dye, from small swatches to an old white t-shirt.

Step 4 — Squeeze and rinse

Put on gloves. Fill a big bowl with cold water, or use your sink or tub, and add about a teaspoon of gentle dish soap or a cold-water sensitive-skin laundry detergent. Squeeze each piece to get most of the water out, then give it a good, vigorous rinse. This won't remove the pigment that has absorbed into the fabric. It only rinses out the loose pigment and any leftover onion bits, so you're left with a beautifully coloured piece.

Step 5 — Dry flat, then wash cold

Lay each piece flat on a towel to dry. The towel soaks up the extra water, and for crochet or knitting it also blocks the piece, so it dries straight and flat. Give it half a day, or a whole day if you're busy. Once it's completely dry, wash it in the washing machine in cold water. That removes any leftover pigment and scent. Onion skins don't smell much, but it matters more with dyes like blackberries, where you don't want purple stains on your skin.

What to expect from onion skin dye

The dye bath looks like a muted amber, but the pieces come out much richer. The white cotton yarn turned a deeply saturated camel, and the unbleached cotton muslin came out a natural-looking but bright burnt orange. The colour was opaque, with no speckling or marbling. It's considered colourfast for the most part, so the rinse and cold wash do most of the work. Onion skins are non-toxic unless you're allergic to onions, which makes this a good project for kids or a class. If you buy white yarn and crochet something, you could even dip dye it and end up with colours nobody else has.

If you'd like to see more of what onion skins can do, take a look at the yarn dyeing with onion skins tutorial or the army green and gold onion skin yarn tutorial.

Frequently asked questions

What materials do I need to dye fabric and yarn with onion skins?
You will need dry onion skins (saved in a freezer bag), a pretty big pot, plenty of water, a bowl with a strainer and a ladle, a big glass container for soaking, gloves, a big bowl of cold water or a sink, about a teaspoon of gentle dish soap or cold-water sensitive-skin laundry detergent, a dry towel, a washing machine, and the items to dye. In the video these were crocheted swatches of white Bernat Handicrafter Cotton yarn, unbleached cotton muslin in two qualities, and bleached cotton tape.

How many onion skins do I need for dye?
The skins from about one to two bags of onions make a really potent dye. The batch in the video used the skins from two medium yellow onions and four or five small purple shallots, and it gave a strong colour. A whole bag of onions would give an even more brilliant one.

Which part of the onion do I use for dye?
Use only the dry, papery outer skins. Once that paper is peeled off, the layer underneath is yellow and translucent and gives very little pigment. Wet or inner skins also fill your house with a strong onion smell.

How long should I soak fabric or yarn in onion skin dye?
Soak for at least three to four hours so the fabric absorbs as much pigment as it can. The pieces in the video sat overnight, and the colour came out rich and even.

Is onion skin dye colourfast?
For the most part. The rinse removes loose pigment and leftover onion bits without taking out the dye that has absorbed into the fibres, and a cold wash once the piece is completely dry removes what's left. Onion skins don't leave much smell, but with other dyes, like blackberries, this step matters even more to avoid stains.

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