Ground Pomegranate Peels

USE FOR: Tub Dyeing a solid color, some direct application techniques
USE ON: All Natural Fibers

Pomegranate Peels are the leathery skins and seeds of pomegranate fruit and although they are not normally eaten, are high in tannin and super useful as a natural dye. Pomegranate (Punica Granatum), is also known as anaar in India and granada in Spain. It grows wild in India, Italy, North Africa and China and is used in Ayurvedic remedies. Pomegranate is an aromatic dye that yields a green-yellow color and shifts to olive and dark gray with iron. Pomegranate is used as both a tannin-rich mordant in India, and also as a dye. Our pomegranate peels are ground up, dried pieces of the outside peel.

*If you are using whole pomegranate peels, wrap the chunks in a tea towel or heavy paper bag and pound them with a hammer to break up the large chunks. You can also use a mortar and pestle to grind the skins into a coarse powder. Simmer the peels in enough hot water to cover them for about 45-60 minutes. You can let the solution cool over night, or strain the peels reserving the liquid, which is your dye bath and use immediately.

To use pomegranate as a mordant, prepare the peels at 30% wof and soak fabric in the pomegranate liquid solution for at least an hour or overnight. Remove from the solution and proceed to dyeing. To use pomegranate to make grays, dye fabric with pomegranate at 10-20% wof. You may also mordant with aluminum potassium sulfate or with aluminum acetate if desired. Used 0.25-1.00% iron wof in the dye bath or as a post bath. Alternatively, mordant fabric with iron and then dye in a pomegranate bath.

**The dyed fabrics pictured above are two different silks, a cotton jersey, a woven cotton, and a cotton linen blend. Everything was dyed at 100% WOF.**