ArtNut

Has anyone dyed fabric with banana plants or fruit? I found one online posting about soaking chopped up peels but even that author had not tried it yet. I've spoiled many a piece of clothing with the brown stains from the sap. Has anyone refined a process for actually dying a piece of fabic. All advice is welcomed.
Thanks.

Gabe15

I've tried it, it works. The peels work too. The best way I've found to make a good dye is to chop some bits of pseudostem up, but them in the blender with some water, blend, and then let the cloth soak in the slurry. Depending on how concentrated your slurry is, it will have different efficacy.

Fe'i bananas with red sap look cool at first, and sometimes initially turn blue, but in my experience they dry to something with only a slight red tinge.

I also like to cut the pseudostem of buds and then press them on to t-shirts, it makes a neat design.

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Growing bananas in Colorado, Washington, Hawaii since 2004. Commercial banana farmer, 200+ varieties.

jeffreyp

Okay this is going back a while but I remember reading somewhere that in some country in asia (india ?) it's used as a commercial dye. In a similar vein of thought it's too bad naturally colored cotton is not grown and used commercially here in the usa. I heard jeans (or other fabrics) that are made with naturally colored cotton get deeper in color rather than fading as with dyed white cotton. Regardless, you've inspired me gabe, I'm going to get some white t-shirts and have a go at it.

ArtNut

I remember that on the Island of Kawai in Hawaii, they use the red mud to dye fabric a brick red color. It does fade but is a great shade of "earth tones".
Reading about using cabbage or onion skin dyes, salt is added to the dye to make it absorbed by the fabric better. And the fabric is boiled in the dye mixture.
I look forward to hearing about your results.

Abnshrek

I'm sure everyone wants to do this naturally but I'm sure there is a media that can be used to extract the die more rapidly from a peel or corm.. to make a more pronounced look. :^)

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I'm a Nannerhead :^)

Gabe15

Just a note: the sap of banana plants is colorless, so at first you will not see any dyeing happening, but then after it dries and oxidizes color will start to show. Also after the clothing article is put through a dryer the color usually really shows up.

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Growing bananas in Colorado, Washington, Hawaii since 2004. Commercial banana farmer, 200+ varieties.

ArtNut

I know about medium gel for acryllic paint and mediums for contacting ghosts but I am unfamiliar with it related to dye. What would be examples of such a medium?

Abnshrek

Could be rubbin' alcohol, paint thinner, anything that will break down what your trying to get the die from. Once it's broke down you can vent it and evaporation will concentrate it naturally :^) Personally I'm for laquer thinner (more harsh (faster breakdown vs paint thinner)) or a reducer for paint; fast, meduim or slow they are all good, but its a lil oily, but perfect when a lil is needed. :^)

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I'm a Nannerhead :^)

ArtNut

In what is a whole page of info about Bananas from Perdue Banana
there is reference to thier indelible sap.

Bananaman88

Be sure to post some pics of your results!

john_ny

Seem to remember when, as a kid dyeing easter eggs, we had to add vinegar to the dye.

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John