The fabric I picked up over the weekend is beautiful and very nice quality, and I love the pattern…  it was just sooo  black and white.  Normally, I would prefer clean black and white, but for the project I have in mind, a that would be just a bit too much craziness.  So, my brilliant husband (who graciously came to the fabric store with me!  Keeper!!) suggested I do a coffee or tea dye.  I went with tea because I wanted a rather faint tint and I’m madly in love with coffee and didn’t want to “waste” it  (although, I’ve since learned you can use the grounds you would otherwise throw out!)

Ready to start?

1. Gather and Prep (large bowl, cloth, tea, water.)
2. wet fabric with water
3. Brew the tea!   I used a few too many tea bags for my desired shade (I found out by doing my test swatch)…  so I had to delude it a bit with extra water.  No biggy.
4. Do. A. Test. Swatch!  Trust me…  I’m usually one to wing it and assume nothing will go wrong…  but had I done that, I would have left my fabric in far too long, and messed up everything on earth.

5. Add damp fabric, mixing and soaking to make sure every little wrinkle is in the tea.
6. Keep an eye on the time!  Mix and check often.  I was going for a very faint tint, so I soaked my fabric for 5-6 minutes in a fairly strong tea brew.  Remember that it will look a bit darker while went then it will when it’s dry.
7. When you’re done, wring it out and admire the loviness!
8. Air dry until damp, then press with an iron to set the color.

Stay tuned to see what this lovely fabric becomes!  I’m pretty excited about it.  Hint, it does not involve a sewing machine or thread.

I hope this inspires you!  You could dye your pillow cases, your towels, your hat collection, all of your significant-other’s shirts…  really any cloth in your home is fair game.  Just go for it!