Natural Elderberry Dye (on organic cotton undergarments)

Remember how I was cooking down elderberries the other week? I used most of the elderberries I had growing in the medicinal recipe I put in the freezer... but one little bunch was left on the bush and I wanted to experiment with using it as a dye on some organic cotton undergarments (wife beater undershirt & thong panties) that I got from American Apparel's organic section online.

The undergarments were un-dyed to begin with, just the natural organic cotton color which is a slightly off white. (For those of you with MCS { chem sensitivities} I found that these undies were not overly chemical smelling, and that AA is doing a fairly good job with their organic line. The smell they did hold washed out really easy for me.)

HOW TO ::::

I believe there are various ways to prepare the elderberry dye - but what I did this time was cook it down with a lil' bit of apple cider vinegar and then let the cotton clothing sit in the dye bath overnight.

I am pretty certain you can get a MUCH darker color from this if you have tons of elderberries (which I didn't have anymore). Also, i think for a blue/ purple color that is dark possibly not cooking them at all, but crushing them up into a liquid, adding the vinegar and then putting the garments in would be really awesome, and likely a very deep dye.

I hung them out in the sun to dry, and as with all natural dyes the color will lighten as the fabric dries. This small amount of elderberries made a nice shade of pink... that leans on the lavender side.

Pretty earthy & cool!

Xoxoxo

Etsy's Top 5 Eco Panties For Valentines!

This Valentines is leaps and bounds ahead of last year if you are searching for retro, chic, sassy and also eco minded undies to impress that special someone. For years the UK's Enamore lingerie has reigned queen of the eco skivvies, and although though she is not dethroned from her pioneering beauty, there is certainly alot of sexy & adorable competition in the USA now! These cuties below are all from Etsy and are handmade with love by independent artists - making their work fair and affordable.Designer HOPELESS: "The Sally Shorts are inspired by Audrey Hepburn's character 'Holly Golightly' in the film 'Breakfast at Tiffany's'. They are a very simple and comfortable design, with a cute white bow at the front.They are made out of organic bamboo jersey which is silky soft and similar in touch to cashmere. " $35

Designer BOBELLY: "Yup, they feel as good as they look. these are made from a bamboo and organic cotton blend, with a tiny bit of spandex. that makes for very, very stretchy, soft fabric. I haven't used elastic in any of my panties; you can barely tell there's something on, yet they stay put all day (I don't even remember the last time I had a wedgie). Just a bit sheer...who says comfy can't be sexy?" $15

Designer DEVIL MAY WEAR: "Who loves bloomers? Or rather who doesn't! Burning man? Burlesque? Lounging around the house [my favorite]? How about under that adorable mini! These are in our most popular bikini cut undies in a soy/organic cotton /spandex blend." $25

Designer BROOK THERE: "Made of a charcoal gray organic cotton, and trimmed with pink lace and ivory elastic, this bra and panties set is both sweet and sustainable." $40

Designer UNDER THE ROOT: "'Like the Petals of a Lily' -The Bloomers have a galore of gatherings, holding your waistline and thighlines with Black Satin Elastics. The bustle left around your tush is just enough for desirable sweetness. Hugging your hipline in softy! Made of organic cotton jersey knit & black satin elastic." $35

If you are looking for more organic lingerie from designers like Enamore, Clare Bare, On The Inside, Ecoland and more go HERE!