CREATE: TEA STAINED FABRIC

the other day i was boiling water to make iced tea and was inspired (literally by the tea) to try staining a bit of aug's onesies. after a few minutes of looking up directions, i kind of threw this together and absolutely love the subtle, dreamy hues that came out.

i experimented with early gray tea but i am almost certain you can experiment with any flavor and coloring. next, i'd love to try an orange citrus spice or even an herbal blueberry. those soft, pale hues speak my love language.

you can do your own research, but i'll share what i did and hope that helps. i really didn't put a lot of thought into it, just kind of went with what felt natural. 

TEA STAINED FABRIC

5-6 tea bags

4 (or so) cups of water

cotton fabric

pantry: pot, mixing bowl, tongs, wooden spoon

directions

*i think it's best to use white, pre-washed cotton for this project. remember, too that the fabric will look much darker while being dyed (and wet) than it actually will be once washed.

bring a pot of water to a rolling boil, remove from heat and add the tea bags. let steep until your desired color (for me, it was 30 minutes) is reached. remove the tea bags from the pot of water and stir the water to make sure the fabric dyes evenly. if there are loose tea leaves, strain them out so they do not effect the dye process. transfer tea water to a mixing bowl.

next, rinse your fabric in cold water and ring out all excess water and then add the fabric into the mixing bowl. using a wooden spoon, you can move the fabric around making sure it is fully immersed and coated. allow the fabric to stay in the tea water until the desired color. i left the fabric in over night.

once the desired color is reached, rinse the fabric with cold water. i threw mine into the wash (even with other whites) and did not take any special precautions and all came out wonderful. i read that you could throw the fabric into the dryer and then iron it to "seal" the stain. 

that's it, friends. i'd love to see if any of you try this, so do let me know! xo