Dyeing Embroidery Fabric with Black Tea

I took the plunge and dyed a piece of embroidery fabric. 

A white snowman on white fabric—that just doesn’t work. And since I have such a large stash of fabrics, I didn’t want to buy anything new. 



The fabric and a bowl were ready



And off we went



I’m very happy with the result.

Before – after

Now I can get started this evening—the fabric just needs to dry a little more

But it really turned out nice and even—great! I used to dye those little crocheted bistro curtains with tea, and that worked pretty well, too.

So how did the washing go? Were you able to wash your curtains?

I don’t think I’ll ever wash my embroidered ornaments, but I’d definitely be curious

Dear Petra, I would have liked the light-colored fabric, too. But you’re right—a white snowman on a white background just doesn’t work. I think the dye job turned out really well. Once the fabric is dry, it’ll probably get just a tad lighter. I’m sure you’ll show us the fabric with the embroidered design sometime.

Once you’ve had success, you get bolder… maybe next time it’ll be beets or spinach :-)

Best regards and thanks for sharing. Ina

Yes, washing it was no problem. Just make sure not to use a bleach-based detergent, of course.

Will the dye wash out, or will it just get a little lighter?

It fades a little over time, but it doesn’t wash out completely.

That’s a really great idea! I still have a few tablecloths lying around.
Maybe I’ll try this out with one of them sometime.

That’s such a brilliant, eco-friendly idea.

To be honest, I had to laugh at myself because when I saw the headline, I first thought of chemistry. Nitrogen—not the fabric for embroidery *laughs*

Done with the embroidery; now it’s time to sew

Today I tried my hand at sewing. I’m not quite satisfied yet. The strip of fabric around the embroidered design is too narrow for my liking. I’ll make a note of that for the next ornament.

I wonder if my daughter will recognize that this fabric used to be a pair of her winter pants? 

No one would ever guess that it used to be a pair of winter pants. It turned out really nice.
But I also have to smile every time I read “dyeing Stickstoff”.... I always picture laughing gas in my mind’s eye (dinitrogen monoxide). 

Wow, you’re really hard at work!
And everything’s so beautifully combined with the fabric and trim 💙

There’s another great way to dye—just Google “solar dyeing”; you’ll be amazed at how versatile it is. You can dye wool, fabrics, etc. with lots of things you have around the house.

Best, Inge

Dear Petra, each pillow is more beautiful than the next. I couldn’t pick just one. And everything is photographed so beautifully and stylishly—with a little ray of sunshine that makes the colors on the white fabric glow, and some fir greenery to match the Christmas motifs. Gorgeous! I could totally picture this in a home decor magazine. Add a cozy blanket, a candle, a steaming cup of tea... (My imagination is running wild :-)

You can tell from every single pillow just how much joy you put into designing each one individually. The fabrics and embellishments go so well together. Absolutely wonderful! How big is a pillow?

Best regards, Ina

Inge, I’ll try solar dyeing this summer. I checked out your link right away. That’s definitely going to be exciting.

Ina, the pillows are pretty small. The small one is 10 cm, the large one is 15 cm.

I’m practicing with my photos and trying to improve my product shots by the time the next pattern comes out. That’s why the green decoration ☺

And yet another little picture is finished. Pauline at the chicken farm 

Things were bubbling away in the pot in the witch’s kitchen again… this time, I dyed with coffee grounds.

I’ll show you the result once I’ve finished embroidering my design. 

I’m really curious to see how it turns out; I still wanted to try it with coffee. 

Give it a try 😊 

Wow, Petra, I’m amazed at how creative and hardworking you are. I wouldn’t have thought of that.
Dyeing with coffee grounds—that’s brilliant! I’ll have to try that sometime.

Inge, your suggestion is great too—it really inspires me to experiment.

And just like that… I’m back to my sewing projects for the two kids. I’ll show you those soon, too.

Best regards
Monika