Hello everyone
Today I wanted to dye some white linen to give it an antique look for a specific project, and thought you may find it helpful to see the process and the results. I prefer coffee over tea for this as it creates a beautiful soft antique shade, see for yourself here is the method:
I used the premium linen fabric available in my online shop but it would work with any white linen or cotton.
- Wash fabric.
2. Half fill a large pot with water and bring to the boil.
3. Add approx 4 tablespoons of pure coffee granules. Bring to the boil and simmer for 5 minutes till the coffee has dissolved. Allow to cool slightly so it is not boiling hot.
4. Immerse fabric in coffee solution. Leave to soak for about 30 minutes for a light – medium shade, 15 minutes for pale and about 1 hour for darker. I left it for 30 minutes.
5. Remove fabric from solution and rinse thoroughly in clean water till the water runs clear – lay on a clean fluffy towel. Roll up to remove excess water and allow to dry.
6. Iron with a hot steam iron to remove creases.
Process complete you now have a gorgeous shade of antique linen!
Till next time wherever you are in the world, keep smiling and happy stitching.
Trish
Have you tried this with silk?
No – silk tends to be a little tricky, but no reason why you shouldent try:)
Many thanks Trish !
Me again. Here is an interesting article on how to dye your fabric with coffee and how to set the dye:
https://www.hunker.com/13411205/how-to-set-the-stain-of-coffee-dyed-fabrics
Hi everyone just a follow up – This method works for me but there are many ideas online about how to dye your fabric with tea, coffee etc which you may like to try and will probably get different results with each. Have fun with it:)
Has anybody tried ground filtered coffee?
No I just used what was in the house but no reason why ground filtered coffee would not work the same:)
I have always been told not to use real coffee in dying fabric as it is acidic. Used coffee grounds are used as a fertiliser for acid loving plants. Use a coffee essence instead
Thanks for that info Sue you could be right!
Thanks for this process. Very interesting!
my pleasure!
Thanks for sharing 😊 does it have to be re washed to get rid of the smell of coffee ? Just a thought
Hi Jackie when you remove it from the pot it should be rinsed thoroughly again and again until the water runs clear – there is no smell of coffee after that. Trish
Thanks Trish x
Thank you so much for taking the trouble to photograph and describe this process. I have long wanted to know how to coffee-dye. One question though, will the color be fast and stay in despite subsequent washings? ________________________________
Yes it should be colourfast – but I will do further tests to make sure and revert back to you:)
Hi again. I soaked a piece in water overnight and the colour did not run. I think its important to make sure there is no residue left when rinsing – just as you would if dying an article of clothing for example. As we are using it for embroidery dont think it will have to withstand repeated washing so it is probably safe:)
Thank you for sharing.
Suzanne
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