Catch up or DYE: Part 1

Now that I have successfully escaped the wrath of my tonsils, I have been playing a serious game of catch- up- on- everything- that- went- all- to- hell- while- mommy- was- sick. My poor daughter is going through tv detox because that is basically all I had the energy to do with her last week. I also had to unearth the kitchen sink from all the piled up mugs of soup and tea I consumed.

On the plus side, while I was comatose on the couch, I got the chance to watch a great show on KET about some really interesting fabric dyeing techniques which inspired me to want to give it a shot. I have dyed fabric before but I did it with my usual MO of not really reading the directions and though it came out reasonably well, I would like to try it again...correctly. So I did what we all do these days and I Googled it. Whoa...fabric dyeing is most decidedly not just for Deadheads. There were so many different ways that I decided to try a few different techniques and show you how I progressed.

Tea Dyeing

Tea dyeing is a subtle way to give fabrics an aged antique look. It's also somewhat reversible since you are using a natural "staining" process. I have this great vest that I found at my favorite thrift store but it looks a little TOO new for me. The white is too bright so I think its a perfect candidate for tea dyeing.

Step 1: Prepare the tea dye

I used 6 iced tea bags to 4 cups of boiling water. Steep for 3-5 minutes and then discard tea

bags.

Step 2: Prepare the fabric/garment

Just like with regular dyeing you need to wet the garment before you dye it. Wetting it helps to more evenly distribute the color so you don't end up with splotches.

Step 3: Submerge fabric/garment

Make sure you swirl and stir the fabric around a bit to ensure even coverage.

Step 4: Rinse well

Step 5: Hang or Machine Dry (check garment label for care instructions)

Ta Da!!! So it's a subtle change but its exactly what I was looking for.

Stay tuned for next week as I explore more awesome fabric dyeing techniques.