How to "Tea Dye" Lace

Tea Dying lace is a simple project you can do to add a lovely vintage look to ordinary white lace.  There is a rich antique beauty that comes from staining lace this way.  It is also a way to add a little something special to thrift store and garage sale finds.  I love how it looks  added to linens, napkins, tea cozies, purses, and clothes.

Here are the simple instructions:

 Collect whatever lace or material you want, and put it into a bowl or a pot.

 Cotton material will absorb the stain more readily than synthetic.

 Gather 8 -10 tea bags  and heat  1/2 - 3/4 of a gallon of water to boiling.

 Place the teabags into a container and add the boiling water.  Allow to steep until the water is very strong; 8-10 minutes.

 Pour the hot tea over the lace.

 Add until completely covered.

 Stir and submerge until thoroughly soaked.

 You may also add any amount of strong hot coffee to this mixture for added stain.

 Allow to soak 2 hours to overnight.

Stir occasionally as it soaks.

Once it has reach your desired stain saturation, remove and dry.  You may rinse if you desire; I like to keep  a strong stain, so I put it directly into the dryer without rinsing to set the stain.  You can add 2 Tablespoons of vinegar to the mixture once it has soaked for several hours as an added setting agent if you like.  I find it works well with the soak and dry method for the projects I use the lace for.  If you were staining a large piece of muslin or something that you would wash and wear often, it might be a good idea to set it with the vinegar.

 Each type of fabric will take the stain differently.   

 There is no need to worry about exact measurements for this project.  Make the tea and coffee as strong or as weak as you like, soak it as you like for varying dye affects.

Have Fun.