MP: tea-dyed tatted cross bookmark

[txcraftnovice.livejournal.com]

I've actually had the cross done for a while, but didn't know what to do with it.  Last night I got bored and started tea-dyeing stuff, and figured I'd just tea-dye the cross too.  Yes, it is meant to be that dark, and will lighten over time, especially if it gets washed.  It's going to a friend's mom, if she'll like it.

Comments

[dyddgu.livejournal.com]

Oooh, that's lovely!

[txcraftnovice.livejournal.com]

Thank you.
I also tea-dyed/tie-dyed a bit of thread, which I plan on playing with later on, see how it looks. I may just wind up tea-dyeing the finished product if it looks too off.

[betsybookwyrm.livejournal.com]

Looks nice! I like the idea of it lightening over time.

How do you do it? Do you just soak it in strong tea?

[txcraftnovice.livejournal.com]

I used a dark English tea (Prince of Wales), brewed it for about 5 minutes, and since I used a loose tea (I would suggest trying to find bagged tea), strained the tea into small bowls with the items already in them. I let the cross sit for about 2-3 hours, and the thread for over 5 hours. Depending on how dark you want the item depends on how long you soak it; it is advised to let it soak for a while longer so that it gets darker than you want because when you rinse the item (with cool water), it will lighten.

If you want a light piece, soak it for about an hour, or for a really dark piece, overnight. I would experiment with a few random items you have, as I did, and see what suits you best. Cotton thread takes the tea-dye a lot better than synthetic fibers will, since I'm not sure that synthetic will even take to it.

You can always Google for more information if my instructions weren't very clear.

[betsybookwyrm.livejournal.com]

Thanks! I've been looking for interesting ideas to incorporate into a birthday present for my mother, and this might prove quite useful... :)

From what I know about dying, I think this will only work for plant/animal fibres. Not sure, though, I haven't played that much with dying stuff.