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Cost: $ $ $ $ $

Difficulty: • • • • •

Time: 30 mins

a great natural dye
I am allergic to almost everything artifical.

So when it comes to dying cloth, paper or my salt srubs, I use tea. I also dye my lipgloss this way

Its cheap and effective and if you love the smell of tea, its grand.

Fruit teas add a splash of red-purples

Black Teas(like Earl Grey) and a beige-light brown effect

Green teas are mellow, have a uplifting sent and a light yellow-green hue.

Posted by michelle G. from Antigonish, Nova Scotia, Canada • Published 11th September 2008 • See michelle G. 's 1253 projects »

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Alice N. added Tea Dying to Technique 19 Dec 13:58
Grace K. favorited Tea Dying 04 Sep 00:09
J F. added Tea Dying to Clothing 14 Sep 16:34
J F. favorited Tea Dying 14 Sep 16:34
emily l. favorited Tea Dying 21 Jun 02:44
CathAlary favorited Tea Dying 20 Jan 18:37
GothicYolita favorited Tea Dying 21 Jun 14:50

Step 1
first take a few tea bags, I use about three to four.

place in bowl and add hot water. Let it steep for a bit(5 mins or more) remove tea bags.

and TADA, dye.
Step 2
now to dye paper, place the sheet of paper in a flat square pan. Pour mix over it and shift back and forth.

take sheet out and hang dry.

(paper dying works best on card stock)
Step 3
dying cloth, easy.

dip the cloth in the mix. In and out a few times. or if your feeling daring, put it in the mix for about 5 to 10 minutes.

take the cloth out and hang dry.
Step 4
want to add colour to your product?

soap, scrub or lipgloss?

just pour a bit into the mix and continue.
Step 5
PS. doing all this dying makes your house smell great.

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Comments

miss tea pot · 14 projects 21st March 2012

Hi michelle G. Great Idea but how do you fix natural dyes so they don't just wash out?

Portia T. 22nd December 2010

i just used this dye on my christmas cards, i just dipped a lemon tea bag & an apple cider tea bag in hot water and dabbed it on the paper they look GREAT!

Portia T. 22nd December 2010

i just used this dye on my christmas cards, i just dipped a lemon tea bag & an apple cider tea bag in hot water and dabbed it on the paper they look GREAT!

Portia T. 22nd December 2010

i just used this dye on my christmas cards, i just dipped a lemon tea bag & an apple cider tea bag in hot water and dabbed it on the paper they look GREAT!

Angie G. 12th July 2010

Is fabric dyed this way washable? I tried a few weeks ago to dye a white cotton sundress by painting it with wine and berries and it washed out! I was SO disappointed!

Angie G. 12th July 2010

Is fabric dyed this way washable? I tried a few weeks ago to dye a white cotton sundress by painting it with wine and berries and it washed out! I was SO disappointed!

Alyx · 1 project 9th April 2009

I dyed some paper for an aged affect for a history project! Turned out great! My teacher liked it so much she asked to keep it as an example! Thanks so much!

SewDanish · 6 projects 7th March 2009

Dying is so much fun. I love it

Patricia S. · Roma, Queensland, AU · 5 projects 15th September 2008

Thanks again for posting this - based on this tutorial, I dyed some paper to make it look aged, then wrote Shakespeare quotes on them for my English class