Dyeing with Turmeric (easy step by step guide)

Learn how to make an all natural dye with yellow turmeric powder for fabric and yarn

Did you know that the bright yellow turmeric that you use to make flavorful curries can be used as a dye? That’s right! That lovely orange-y yellow color will actually stain just about everything from clothing to plastic containers and spoons.

And you can achieve not only the deep ochre color but with a few dye modifiers, you can change turmeric to a brown or even a lemon yellow.

Dry, ground turmeric is easy and safe enough for even beginners to achieve dyeing success right at home. The only real downside is that this natural dye is unfortunately not colorfast.

Meaning that it will wash out rather quickly which is why I have not experimented with it before.

What materials can be dyed with turmeric?

The short answer to that question is … almost anything. You can use it to stain natural plant fibers (cotton, linen, bamboo) and animal fibers (wool, silk). It would easily color unsealed wood and even stained my plastic measuring cup and plastic spoon.

For this experiment, I am dyeing a cotton tea towel, a skein of cotton yarn, a skein of acrylic yarn, a produce bag (cotton?) and a length of cotton fabric to test how dye modifiers affect the turmeric.

Note: If you are dyeing old, recycled fabrics, you may want to deep clean or scour them to remove any dirt that could repel the dye.

A note about dyeing yarn with turmeric

Turmeric does not need to be heated in order to use it as a dye or stain. Most materials will accept it just fine if it is a cold dye.

However, since fine powders can be difficult to rinse out of yarn, it is recommended that you use the heat dye method and then strain out the powders, as is detailed below.

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Supplies needed

• Light fabric such as tea towels and/or
• Light Yarn *
• Turmeric powder
• Water
• Stockpot
• Mixing bowl and spoon
• Postal Scale
• Strainer and coffee filters *
• Rubber bands **
• Cardboard **
• Dust Mask (if using Modifiers)
• Gloves
• Color Modifiers *** (optional)
  • Ferrous Sulfate (Iron water)
  • Lemon Juice (acidic)
  • Baking Soda (alkaline)

Notes on supplies:

* As I stated previously, ground Turmeric powder is very difficult to rinse out of yarn. Therefore, if you choose to experiment with dyeing yarn, you will need to simmer the dye and then strain the liquid using the strainer and filter.

If you only plan to dye fabric, you will not need to heat the dye, nor strain it. Simply place the fabric in the cold dyebath.

** You will only need rubber bands and cardboard if you plan to tie dye or fold your fabrics. They are not necessary for submersion or dip dyeing.

*** Color Modifiers are substances that you add either to the dye or after dyeing that change the chemistry and therefore change the final color of your materials.

For instance, Ferrous Sulfate (Liquid Iron or Rust Water) tends to ‘sadden’ and deepen a color. It may also shift a dye from yellow to green or gray.

Lemon juice or white vinegar are acidic substances whereas Baking soda is alkaline. Adding either of these will change the PH balance and potentially shift the color.

Note: Using any of these is completely optional. I decided to give them a try in this turmeric dyeing experiment to see how they affect the color.

You can also make your own iron or rust water. Find out how.

Dyeing Safety

Dyeing with turmeric is completely safe and you can even use your normal kitchen pots and pans. No special tools are needed. However, if you plan to use any of the Color Modifiers, you will need to be more cautious.

For instance, Iron or Ferrous Sulfate should be handled with gloves and a dust mask. You will also need to use separate (non-food) pots, mixing bowls, spoons, etc.

The dyeing process, step by step:

Folding the fabric

Whether or not you fold your fabric is completely up to you. I decided to tie dye my tea towel with a square folding pattern and the experimental cotton with a flag or triangle fold.

Note: If you want your fabric to be a solid color, simply submerge it in the dyebath and stir regularly.

Folding a cotton tea towel in a square pattern:

First, fold a towel in half, then fold over one end to form a square. Next, flip this square under and repeat until the entire towel is a pleated square.

Cut two pieces of cardboard roughly the same size as the square. Sandwich the towel between the cardboard pieces and secure with rubber bands. The cardboard will help to keep the towel in the folded shape.

Folding fabric in a flag or triangle pattern:

Fold the fabric in half lengthwise, then flip over one end to form a triangle. Fold this triangle under and then repeat folding over and under until the entire piece is a pleated triangle.

As before, cut two pieces of cardboard the size and shape of your folded triangle. Sandwich the fabric between the cardboard and secure with rubber bands.

Making the dye

How much ground turmeric do I need?

You will need approximately half of the weight of your materials to be dyed. Weigh your materials to be dyed with the postal scale and divide the number by two.

My fabrics and yarn weighed 5.7 ounces so I needed about 2.8 ounces of turmeric.

Note: If you do not have a small scale, you can simply estimate the weight of your materials. For instance, an average t-shirt weighs between 3 and 7 ounces.

To make the dye, place the turmeric into a bowl or cup (plastic may stain), add a small amount of water and stir it to make a paste. You will want the powder to be thoroughly wet. Add more water, if needed.

Now, fill your stockpot with enough water so your materials can move around freely and then add the dye. Stir this to mix.

Heating the dyebath

Turn the heat on your stove to medium and then gently simmer the dyebath for about 30 minutes or more.

Straining the dye for the yarn

At this point, if you are going to dye yarn, you will want to pour off and strain enough of the liquid to cover your skeins. Submerge the yarn and leave it for 30 minutes to an hour.

Add the folded fabric bundles to the dyebath. Gently push them down with a spoon to submerge them in the liquid. Leave the bundles for 30 minutes to an hour.

Rinse out the excess

After the allotted time, remove your fabric bundles and the skeins of yarn from the stockpot. Rinse the folded bundles to remove excess dye and then open up and unfold your fabrics.

Now you need to thoroughly rinse all of your materials until the water runs clear.

Finally, hang your pieces up to dry, but not in direct sunlight which will fade the dyes.

How to change the turmeric dye with modifiers

Just as an experiment, I decided to try different color modifiers to see how they might change the colors.

After my pieces were dry, I took the triangle folded fabric and dipped one end in a mixture of the iron. The other end I dipped in water with baking soda (alkaline) and finally I dipped the middle part in water with lemon juice (acidic).

The iron changed the dye to a darker brown. The baking soda did not make a huge difference but it did brighten the orange a little bit. The lemon juice instantly took out the darker areas and turned the whole area a light, lemon yellow.

Does Turmeric need cold or hot water?

As I said above, you can dye or stain with turmeric using cold water or hot water. It really does not seem to make much of a difference with either adherence or color fastness.

However, as we did above, to make it easier to rinse the ground powder out of your yarn, you will want to heat the dye and then strain it carefully.

Do you need a mordant with turmeric?

According to the natural dyeing book, Wild Color, no mordant is necessary and has absolutely no effect on the color or washfastness after dyeing.

Learn more about mordanting fabric and yarn here.

Is Turmeric dye colorfast?

Turmeric is known as a ‘fugitive dye’ which means that is fades and washes out fairly quickly. Therefore, you may not want to use it for anything that will be washed often such as clothing or kitchen towels and stick with produce bags, sheer curtains or macrame plant hangers.

Dyeing with Turmeric (step by step guide)