Recently I read where you could use tea bags to make your muslin look "aged". My problem is I can't find the article now. Does anyone know the number of tea bags needed to do 1 yard of muslin? I wanted to make Redwork Christmas ornaments using the “aged” muslin. Thank you.

a good family sized tea bag is more than enough for a yard of fabric. When you get your color the way you want it, do a rinse in vinegar water to help set color.

BTW, you can use the tea bag method on any cotton, regardless of the color or pattern. It will change colors to more subdues shades, but it works for all.

It's pretty simple--just make tea in the regular way (maybe stronger than the way you would want it for drinking) and soak the fabric. The longer you soak or the stronger the tea, the deeper the color. You can experiment with scraps of muslin, tea of varying strengths, and the amount of time you leave it in (start with an hour and work up from there). When you like the color, dry it on high heat to set the "stain." Want it darker? Soak it again! :) We used to do this for projects in high school art class (plaster takes tea dye especially well).

If you just kind of dunk the fabric in and leave it, the color may end up mottled. If you want to be sure it is uniform across the fabric, stir it around a few times while it's soaking.

the "vinigar bath" was used with the old Rit dyes too.. yes, be sure to set the color.

fun to do you own thing sometimes. :0)

Thank you very much for your super quick response.

Wetting the fabric first allows the tea to dye more evenly - especially if it's a large piece.

I agree,just what I was going to post :thumbup:

I would also wash the fabric first to get the chemicals out so the tea will penetrate the fabric better.