How to Stain Fabric With Tea or Coffee

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cup of coffee image by Cory ONeill from Fotolia.com

You may wish to stain your fabric in tea or coffee as a technique to make your fabric look darker or aged. Stained fabric is a perfect technique to use for creating homemade crafts and adds a unique touch to the look of your creation. Pillow shams, tablecloths and curtains are a few examples of fabrics that can be dyed using tea or coffee. Staining fabric is a fun and inexpensive craft that will change the look of your fabric.

Staining Fabric with Tea

Find a pot large enough that you can completely submerge your fabric. Fill the pot with water and place it on the stove. Turn the burner on high heat and wait for the water to turn to a complete boil.

Place tea bags in the boiling water. Use one tea bag per cup of water used in the pot. Turn off the heat.

Allow the tea bags to steep in the water for about five minutes and then remove the tea bags from the pot. For a darker color, let the tea bags steep for longer.

Place the fabric in the water and stir it around for 10 minutes. If the color is not dark enough, allow the fabric to soak longer.

Remove the fabric from the pot, wring the excess water from the fabric, and hang it to dry.

Staining with Coffee

Fill a large pot with water and place it on the stove. Turn the burner on high heat and wait for the water to turn to a complete boil.

Pour instant coffee in boiling water. Use one cup of instant coffee per cup of water used in the pot. Turn off the heat.

Place the fabric in the water and stir it around for 10 minutes. If the color is not dark enough, allow the fabric to soak longer.

Remove the fabric from the pot. Wring the excess water from the fabric and hang it to dry.