Tea/Coffee-Dyeing Fabric

I have chosen some fabrics for my next textile fusion collage.  I am working with only a couple of colors, yellow and gray, but several shades of those colors.  The pattern I was looking for was perfect in this fabric.

But as you can see the background is pretty much pure white.  That would never work with what I am trying to achieve.  So, what to do?  Go out and try to find something like it with a more yellow background ? 
 

Well, as much as I have repeated that I enjoy the hunt for fabric-  and I REALLY do !! -  I couldn't justify it so I had to think of something else.  I remembered the tea/coffee dyeing technique I had done in the past for other craft projects and decided to try that.

Here's what you need to do this very simple technique.
1. Instant coffee.  (I got this       coffee at Walmart for          $1 and it tasted terrible !!      So, rather  than throw it        out I decided to put it in        my craft room to use for        coffee dyeing.)
2. Water
3. Bowl
4. Spoon

Make  quite a strong mixture of coffee and water with a spoon in the bowl -  maybe 2 Tablespoons of coffee to 1 cup water.  It just depends on how much color you want to add to the fabric.  Experiment with a small swatch of fabric first to make sure it is what you want.  

Put your fabric in the bowl and stir it around or dip the fabric up and down ( pretend you are a pioneer woman washing in the river).  Make sure it is evenly wet for an even dyeing 

or you can make it blotchy by laying the fabric flat and spooning a little bit here and there if that is the look you want. The longer you leave it in the darker it will get

I usually let it drip a bit rather than wringing it out and I don't rinse it for collage purposes.  Experiment with that as well to see what works best for your particular use.
Then, spread it out flat on a plate or cookie sheet.  Let it dry and that's it !  

Now I have something I can use that is a much better color.  Keep in mind that if any of the pattern is light colored, that will  take on the tea or coffee staining as well as the background.  Since this was a black pattern on white it wasn't effected at all. 

Check out the link below if you want to use tea-dyeing for clothing.  It will have to be "set" with vinegar or a vinegar and water mixture and it's advisable to not wash it with lights for the first few washings as they might make the lights look dingy.
https://suite.io/genevieve-kiger/228g25p