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Question of the Week

Question for the week of January 5, 1998:

Our question this week comes from Irene

Does anybody have any experience with tea-dye? I did a bright coloured quilt and was wondering how it would look like after putting it in a bowl of tea.

Judy :
I've used the least expensive tea bags I can buy. Color test the depth of tea patina you want on a sample block. I usually use about 10 bags to two gallons of water. The tea I use is cheap and very strong. This bath is usually in a big soup pot. Use your soak cycle on your washing machine and then rinse and rinse and rinse til you have taken out all excess of tea . This step is very important of course for the overall color fastness of the quilt. It is easier to keep dipping than to try to lighten up on the tint, once it has taken hold, so go carefully and lightly at first and try again and try again if it is not the shade you're looking for. Heat the initial water or use hot setting on your washer and let the tea bags sit and steep for at least 3-5 minutes. Always test a sample block when doing a whole quilt. Once the dye is in it is impossible to lighten it up except for rinsing out the excess tea. Have fun with it. I do.

LuAnn :
The most important part of tea dying is to saturate your quilt/fabric in plain water before you place it in the tea dye bath. This eliminates any blotches. It may take several dye baths to achieve the results you are looking for. Three or more times seems to work best for me. I also set the stain in the dryer. Good Luck

Jaeccj :
I did this, also my Daughter with beautiful results

Barbara :
I once tea dyed a whole quilt using tan Rit dye. I can't tell you how the color held up as I sold it. The initial dulling unified some fabrics that didn't really work together. I would be careful with real tea as the acid may damage your fabric.

Cathy :
I've tried regular "tea" and the commercial packaged dye. I liked the look from regular tea....i used it on some table runners made from fabric i didn't really like, and it gave it a more pleasing look. The commercial dye turned my project orange/pink....ugly.

Peggy Gaetani :
I've dyed lace with tea in the past. It's really hard to judge what you'll get until you do some sample. Different teas give different results and the strenght of the tea makes a difference too! Experiment. Camomile tea will give you a yellow. Orange Pekoe gives you sort of a tan.

Connie Jones :
I've never done a whole quilt but I did fabric for teddy bears that I wanted to look "antique" . The tea dye gave the fabric just the look I wanted. I would try just a small piece of fabric before I did the whole quilt.

Vicki :
I have tea-dye many dolls and doll
dresses. I have found that the lighter
the color the better the tea-dye shows
up.Try any scraps that you have and see
how it looks.

Gale Nicholas :
Tea dye will darken and antique, depending on the fabric, and how long you soak it in the tea.
You should use some scraps and make a small test swatch. Be sure to assemble the test swatch with the
same thread, batting, and backing you used for the quilt.
Then soak the swatch to see the effect. Remember that how long you soak, and the strength of
the tea will affect the results.

laur :
I didn't use real "tea". I used that tea dye you can find in quilt shops. I dyed about 12 blocks and it turned everything orange. What a mess!!!

quiltfun :
My daughter boils 8 tea bags and lets them set for 15 min. Then she dips the item into the tea for about 10 to 15 min. I have never tried it, but she does it frequently. Good Luck

rosquilts@aol.com :
I did try the tea bit and was not happy about it. It was difficult to get a nice color for me. There are dyes on the market that are more reliable. Besides I read the acid in the tea could damage your fabric.

KayGee :
The tea will tone done the color.
However, I was told that tea has tanin
in it that is hard on fabrics over a
long period of time. For heirloom work
use a commercial dye. Experiment and
see which works best for you.

Pat Burch :
Having used tea to dye muslin or white cottons
but after trying it on colors it just
gives it a very spotted apperance

Cynthie :
Just a quick addition. My understanding with tea-dying is that the acid in the tea tends to weaken the cotton fibers. If this quilt is likely to become an heirloom, you may not want to tea-dye it. Others may have not experienced this, but it would take time to tell.

onewayjess@aol.com :
Rather than tea dying, use instant coffee in as saturated a concentration as possible to fit in a sink or washer.
initially, I would try some scrap pieces from your quilt in a bowl with several tablespoons of coffee. Remember that the pieces will dry lighter than they appear when wet.

Anthony :
Tea dying (more accurately, tea staining) can give a wonderful, aged patina. It tends to mute lighter colors and mellow out differences in shading. I can vouch for it's permanence. I was given a brightly colored striped designer shirt. It fit great, but I looked like a circus tent. After tea staining, it dulled down and now I wear it all the time. Over the past couple of years, it must have been washed 2-3 dozen times. The stain has lasted, and it looks better with age.

But, be careful with your staining and, as always, test thoroughly. Timing and tea strength make a difference. Try dilute soltuion to start. You can always darken later. Too much tea will make fabric look dirty or dingy. Pre-wet so stain absorbs evenly (of course, some uneveness can add to the aged look). Be warned that tea contains tannic acid which some experts say can be damaging.

For the faint-of-heart, there's a more predictable and less risky alternative. Dylon makes cold water dyes in "tea-dye" colors (no affiliation). They are one-step, bathtub/washer easy and only cost a couple of bucks from your local fabric chain stores and Wal-marts. They have three shades that closely mimic different tea stained effects; dark, medium, and light. So you can get the precise look you want. For minimal cost you eliminate a lot of worry and risk. On the other hand, they lack some of the unevenness and warmth that comes from the real tea.

Good luck!

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