Tea Dyeing and Coffee Staining Tricks

Tea and coffee provide a quick and easy way to dye paper and fabrics. Originally tea dyeing was used to hide stains on table cloths, dish towels and aprons. Nowadays it is a great way of adding color and age to a project. White paper looks far more interesting when stained with a subtle shade of tea, journal pages gain instant authenticity when they sport a few coffee rings, natural fabrics look warm and inviting when they lose their pristine look. Other reasons to dye with tea or coffee is that it is cheap, slightly unpredictable and fun!

In her book The Handbook of Natural Plant Dyes, author Sasha Duerr, explains that using natural dyes, including tea and coffee, is one way we can eliminate toxic chemicals from our home. Her book includes a 'recipe' for coffee dyeing a t-shirt.

Fabric needs to be natural - wool, silk or cotton is recommended. If you aren't sure then try a test patch.

For each yard or metre of fabric you will need:

• 4 cups/1 litre of water
• 1.5 cups/360ml of instant coffee or tea (not made up).
• Two tablespoons of salt

Directions

1. Put water and coffee/tea into a large pan and bring to the boil.
2. Switch off the heat and immerse the fabric. Leave it for up to 60 minutes, gently agitating it now and then.
3. Check how the color is taking, but remember that it will dry lighter than it looks when wet.
4. When it is a shade that you like, take the fabric from the, by now, cooled dye, wring out gently and set to dry, either outdoors or over a tub or sink.

TIP #1: Don't throw away the tea/coffee dye right away. Let the fabric or garment dry and if it is too light, simply dunk it back in the solution for a further 30 minutes or even longer.

TIP #2: If you like, you can tie the fabric in bunches with string for a soft tie-dye look prior to immersing in the tea/coffee. Remove the string only when the fabric is dry.

TIP #3: Lay the wet, dyed fabric out flat and sprinkle on a handful of salt crystals. Leave where it is to dry. The crystals will absorb some of the dye, leaving an interesting spotted effect.

Make up a fresh strong brew of coffee. One or two cups should do it. Keep the grounds. Allow coffee and grounds to cool. Lay the fabric out on a waterproof surface and drip coffee randomly onto the fabric. Take a handful of grounds and rub it randomly on the fabric. Smoosh it around, squeeze it, drip more coffee, if you like. You can add sea salt crystals and spices such as cinnamon. Be as rough as you like. Allow the fabric to dry, shake off the coffee grounds, and assess the results. You should have a pretty beat-up piece of fabric to use in art projects or anywhere else that grunge is necessary.

TIP Wear strong rubber gloves as this process is a little rough on the hands.

TIP: Decant some coffee into a spray bottle and let loose!

Making white paper look old is simple. Make a cup of strong coffee or tea by whichever method you prefer. Have your paper on a waterproof surface and simply paint the coffee or tea on with a foam brush or a small decorator's brush. Turn the page carefully and paint the other side. Allow to dry.

If you want to stain multiple sheets of paper then use waxed sheets to separate them. After painting the first sheet, cover it with a sheet of waxed paper, slightly larger than your stained sheet. Gently lift the waxed paper and the stained paper should come with it. Lay them, waxed paper down in a convenient drying place - like the kitchen floor. Make sure you have protected the floor with some plastic sheeting first. Then repeat the process with the next sheet, finally laying it down on top of the other, again, waxed paper down. When you have finished, you can put one last sheet of waxed paper on your stack and weigh them down with a heavy book or chopping board. Leave overnight to dry. Next day, carefully peel the stack apart and iron the individual stained sheets.

Experiment with different papers and different ways of applying the coffee or tea to them. Spray, dab or wipe the coffee onto the paper. Use a mug as a stamp by dipping the bottom into a dish of coffee and stamping it onto paper.

Save your used teabags and press them or squeeze any remaining tea out of them onto the paper. Get your children or grandchildren to create artful animals with the blotches. They will be thrilled that they can paint without paint.

Use your grungy, coffee stained paper as backgrounds for journals, scrapbooks or collages. There's no end to what you can do with tea and coffee dyeing.

Check out the resources below for even more ideas.