Tea Time

• Black tea. Lipton or Red Rose.
• Water

Basic Technique:

Boil water, add tea bags. Let simmer for a long time. A couple hours, over night, time isn't all that important.
Let the dye bath cool, then add fabric or fiber.
Bring dye bath back to a simmer, and let simmer for a while. Turn the heat off, let the dye bath and fiber cool in the bath overnight.
Remove fiber, rinse in cool water, then let the fiber dry inside or out of the sun.
Done.

Variations on the basic technique.

Variation #1
Boil the tea until the solution is nice and dark. Strain the tea bags, or loose tea out of the solution. This can be easily done by straining the liquid through a coffee filter, or through a strainer lined with a paper towel.
This results in dye that will apply evenly to the fiber, and should be used when you want a very even application of color. This is a great techinque for dyeing fabric.

Variation #2
Throw the tea bags, and fiber into the pot at the same time, and simmer. This will result in a streaky or mottled dye job. If dyeing fiber to be spun, it will add an interesting depth to the resulting color. If dyeing fabric, the variation in color can mimic aged or worn fabric. What happens in the dye vat is that the tea bags get mixed up with the fabric, and will color any fabric that they are resting on a darker color than the surrounding fabric. Loose tea leaves will have the same effect but in a smaller spots.

Tips for the novice dyer.

Make sure that the fiber or fabric to be dyed is thoroughly wet, and close in temperature to the dye vat. Quick changes in temperature can ruin some fabric, as can prolonged rapid boiling. Wool is particularly sensitive to heat changes, and the combination of heat, tannin and agitation (from a rapid boil) can turn wool fabric into felt.

Start by using equal weights of dye stuff and fabric or fiber should be used. Less tea, or old tea, will result in light tans, and pink-beiges, while more tea and greater time will give shades of dark brown.

Always use a nonreactive pots for dyeing. Stainless steel, glass, or enamel without any chips. Iron, copper, or aluminium will interact with the dye with unpredictable results.

Expriment, try combinations of fabric tea and time, but most of all good luck and enjoy yourself!

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