DIY: Avocado Dyed Swaddle

We absolutely love how versatile our Vanilla Swaddles are. They serve as a blank canvas for so many projects and ways to add a personal touch to your little ones super soft organic swaddle. 

• 2-3 Avocados (the pit and the peel)
• Salt (1/16 of the amount of water)
• 1 Large Pot
• 1 Bucket (for washing and soaking)
• 1 Fabelab Vanilla Swaddle

You'll need to eat a few avocados, remove and wash the pit and the peel of the avocado. Place these in a jar with some water and leave over night. This step is not mandatory, but it helps to start releasing the colour. 

I a large pot, add enough water to cover your swaddle, then mix in 1/16 salt. The salt will act as a fixative and give you a longer lasting colour. Bring this to a boil and add the swaddle. Let this simmer stirring occasionally for a half hour. 

Rinse the swaddle and put aside. Wash you pot for preparing the dye bath. Now the fun part. Add you avocado pits and peels with enough water to cover (this does not have to be too precise). Bring to a boil and let simmer for another half hour. You will start to see a dark magenta colour. After it's done, strain the water so that no large particles are left floating around. This may take two times.

Rinse the rot again to ensure nothing is stuck to the bottom or sides (this will cause spots). Next add your dye and again, enough water to cover your swaddle. Bring to a simmer and then add your swaddle. Be sure to stir gently often to get an even covering.

To achieve an ombre effect, have a large bowl or bucket beside the stove. Place the white part here and slowly pull out more of the swaddle into the bucket as you go. We recommend dipping in five minute increments (remove a little bit each time), but the first dip should be very fast to get a soft fade against the white, the end you can give a little longer to ensure you really get the full colour. Remember, it is important to be patient with this process. The swaddle will appear to absorb a lot of colour immediately, but much of this is squeezed out in washing later.

Prepare a bucket with soapy water. We suggest a Woolite or similar gentle washing soap. Once you are happy with the colour (this should take approximately a half hour to an hour), you can remove the swaddle, wringing out the excess dye and place in the soapy water. Massage and squeeze the fabric to remove as much of the excess colour as possible. You may need one more rinse if your water is very pink. After this you can hang to dry and you're done!