This is a compilation of QUILTNET postings about tea dying.
All comments are the OPINIONS of the person who posted the
message......................
Tea Dying FAQ
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A friend tea-dyed gloves when she got married. The gloves
were too white, so she soaked them in a regular cup (maybe
she used a bowl) of tea. Something like Lipton would
work.
But dye it in stages; take it out and let it dry, check
how you like the shade. She left the gloves in too long
and I think they dried too dark, so then she had to
bleach them a little.
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What I have heard of this is simply to make some strong tea (several bags, or
English tea is best as it is much stronger than say, Lipton), bring the water
to a boil first before pouring over the tea bags. Probably best to put into a
bit pot, and let your fabric soak in this. I don't know that I would put it
into really hot water, but maybe let it cool a bit. Depending on how much tea
you used and how long you soak, will determin the amount that is soaked into
the cloth.
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I haven't tried this yet, but Judith Montano says tea dying lace is as
simple as making a cup of tea. I presume you can use the same recipe for
tea dying fabric, but hopefully a more experienced quilter can confirm or
deny this assumption. Anyway, here is Montano's recipe:
"To make the tea solution, boil a gallon of water with four tea bags in it
for 15 minutes. Strain the solution and return it to simmer. Wet the
lace in plain water, then put it into simmering tea. When the lace has
simmered for 15 minutes, take it out and put it in a setting solution of
1/2 cup white vinegar in one gallon of water. Let it set for 15 minutes,
then rinse it thoroughly and press."
- from "The Crazy Quilt Handbook"
by Judith Montano
C&T Publishing, 1986
Montano says this is also a great way to mask stains.
I have been planning to try this. But I'm curious about two things.
First, has anyone ever had any problem with material dyed in this manner
fading in the wash or bleeding? Second, has anyone ever attempted (or
is this even a good idea) to attain a slightly different tint by dying
fabric or lace in peppermint tea, strawberry tea, etc.?
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Concern about tea dying:
This may work, but from what I've heard from other teachers, no way should
anyone be using tea to tea-dye if you're concerned about the longevity of
your finished project. The tannic acid from the tea will eventually
destroy the fabrics.
In a class I took on creating new quilts with an old look, Barbara
Brackman suggested using Tan RIT Dye to give fabrics an aged look. Sounds
a lot more reasonable to me, though a lot less romantic. :)
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I have been tea dying my material in my washing machine. What I do is buy
a box of tea, usually the cheapest on sale and use any where from one half to
the whole box of bags at a time. I then make a very heavy brew. Using about
4 cups of boiling water and the tea bags. I let that sit for some time.
While the tea is brewing I fill my machine to the low or medium
load line with warm water, depending on how much material I have. I then add
the brewed tea. I some times I even add the tea bags in a mesh bag. I
then let the warm water and tea agitate for a minute or so before
adding the the material. After adding the material I let the machine agitate
for a long while. I then turn the machine off and let the material sit
in the water for awhile or until I like the shade of the material. I then
turn the machine back on to rinse and spin (using cold water). This
method has worked for me many times. I have read that tea dying can
weaken the material, but haven't seen any evidence of it yet. I'm sure that
this isn't the "proper" tea dye method, but it's easy and it works!
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When I've tea-dyed things, I've just made up a fairly strong solution of
tea and crammed the items into the bucket, jug or whatever in handfuls. I
make it strong because I'm too lazy to want to keep checking on it
forever. The way you push it in makes it darker in some places, and that
simulates the actual antique ones better. It's worked wonderfully for
me--just remember to get Orange Pekoe-Pekoe Black. Herbal tea is too
light
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>>From what I hear on the net, tea dyeing is not a good thing to do
for fabric if you expect it to last. Tea contains tannic acid, and the
stronger the tea, the more tannic acid is going in to your fiber.
I would recommend finding a nice shade of brown procion MX dye and overdyeing
your fabric with a very faint amount of dye. You would get the same effect,
but your overdyed fabric would be lightfast and colorfast and not inclined
to deteriorate.
B
I'll play with my favorite brown and see if I can come up with a nice
recipe for overdyeing fabrics. I'll report back, hopefully before
Dec. 1st!
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My step-great-grandfather was a model-builder par excellence. He did model
sailing ships and ships-in-a-bottle that even had blue plaster water. He cast
little lead men who stood in the rigging. (He was from Denmark.) For his
tea-dyed sails, I remember hearing that he "boiled" them in tea. It may be
that the extra heat helps set the color. They stayed antique-looking for as
long as I knew of them.
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I use hibiscus leaves for a beautiful dye on my doilies. You could use
the Celestial Seasonings type, but I prefer the leaves straight!
Make the infusion in water with white vinegar added to help it stay.
A better permanent dye is to buy a red beet at the supermarket and chop it
and boil it in water and vinegar. Strain and then dye your goodie.
Kathrine in New Mexico
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