One of my favorite hobbies is Cross Stitching. Today I would like to share how I dye fabric!
A Little Background
When I started this hobby, I used 14 count Aida cloth to stitch on. Its a stiff fabric with large holes so it’s easy to see and count while you stitch. I liked it because I could buy it at Walmart, Hobby Lobby, or honestly anywhere. Back then, I would find pictures on Pinterest and I would try to replicate them. I didn’t have the chart or the actual colors for floss, but I made do with what I had to work with. I didn’t want to do anything too intense or expensive at first, because I wanted to see if I liked the craft enough to continue to do it. (I will make another post in the future to show off my very early projects!)
Nowadays, I’m full-on addicted and I like to use a specific type of fabric because I like my projects to look a certain way and I like for them to all go together. When I started looking at cross stitching Youtube channels, I found one that is a mother-daughter duo and they liked the same style I did! They had one video that showed how they dyed fabric to make it look antique, so I tried it out… AND I LOVED IT! I just love that my background isn’t stark white, and if the pieces ever get a little dirty, it won’t be noticeable.
The first time I dyed fabric this way, I dyed two pieces and they turned out great! This time was a larger batch that I dyed earlier this year to participate in a cross-stitching event called “MAYnia” where you start a bunch of projects to finish throughout the rest of the year or however long they take.
I stitch, almost exclusively, on 28 count even-weave, and I coffee/tea dye it according to Priscilla and Chelsea’s tutorial. (Priscilla has a blog about all of her crafty stuff!) I love watching their channel, and have learned so much about cross stitching from them!
Coffee / Tea Dying
First thing, you’ll need instant coffee, black tea bags, parchment paper, a cookie sheet, and your choice of fabric. Any brand/size of tea bags and instant coffee are fine. With the tea bags, I bought the gallon size decaf iced tea bags because, honestly, it was the biggest box I could find and was store brand, so it was cheap. I dyed 10 pieces of fabric, plus one smaller piece for my mom, I will have tea bags and coffee left for what feels like the rest of my cross-stitching life.
I used a big pot and filled it about halfway with water and the 10 tea bags and brought it to a boil. After that, I added in about a half cup of the instant coffee and stirred until dissolved. Then I put in three pieces of fabric at a time and left them to gently simmer in the mixture for about 30 minutes. When each batch was finished simmering, I drip dried them over the pot and then crumpled them up onto the parchment lined cookie sheet and stuck it in the over and kept my eye on it until it was darkened to my liking.
After they were sufficiently marbled in the oven, I hung them to dry outside on my clothes drying rack. When they were perfectly dry, I folded them up to be used when I start new projects.
To be honest, I did this probably 6 months ago and I still have so much fabric left. I love that I could do it in one big batch and then I am set for fabric for a couple years. This is because I don’t stitch very quickly… and I dyed larger pieces.
Do you like to cross stitch? If so, have you ever dyed your own fabric? Tell me about it in the comments 🙂
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