Veggie Dye-Painted Dish Towels

These bright dish towels would cheer up any kitchen and are a fun activity for adults and kids alike. Here we use beet-root powder for a toxic-free dye. Plan ahead for this, since you will most likely need to order some of the supplies.

What you need

• ½ cup of vinegar
• Pinch of salt
• White dish towel
• Coat hanger
• Deep bowl or pot (this is for dipping the dish towel in)
• 1 cup of beet powder—we used Mountain Rose Herbs
• Clip (to hold dish towel on coat hanger)
• 4 cups of hot water
• 3 cups of warm water
• Medium-size bowl to mix water, vinegar and dish towel

How to make

1. Mix warm water, vinegar and dish towel in a bowl and allow to sit for 30 minutes.
2. Prepare a coat hanger in a place where it can hang.
3. Remove the dish towel from the water and squeeze out any excess liquid.
4. Add beet powder, hot water and salt to large pot and stir.
5. Fold the towel in half and hang over the center of the coat hanger and use a clip to hold in place.
6. Lower the dish towel so that half of it is soaking in the pot (with beet powder) and leave for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes, pull 2 inches of the dish towel upward away from the pot and leave for another 30 minutes. Repeat this two more times. Each time move the dish-towel fabric 2 inches away from the pot. This will create a gradual fade of the beet dye. The bottom of the dish towel will look darker, as it’s sitting in the dye for longer.
7. Remove the entire dish towel from the pot and allow to drain and dry overnight.
8. Place in the dryer for 10 minutes.

Note

This can be used as a dish towel or even as a scarf.