If I am going to tea-dye or even coffee - dye some material (musling in this case) how do I set it so it don't rinse out when it gets wet?

ReRe

You need to lower the pH. You can do that by getting soda ash from a pool supply store or from Wal-Mart. Brew the coffee or tea very strong and a little heat doesn't hurt! :D

Wow, I didn't know that. Thanks for the tip.

Thank you for the tip :D:D:D

You use the soda ash to prepare the fabric for the dye, right? And then just rinse the fabric well after dyeing to make sure all excess dye that the fabric could not absorb is washed away. PFD fabric (Prepared For Dyeing) is soaked in a soda ash solution, I think, so dye will be permanent.

What is Soda Ash?

Here's a FAQ on soda ash:

http://www.pburch.net/dyeing/FAQ/sodaash.shtml

I have also used salt, baking soda, or vinegar to set coffee or tea, I have also used this to set tea/coffee when aging fabrics.

Gal

Gal --What is the ratio of salt, baking soda, or vinegar to water volume that you use?

I use this method for smaller amounts, have not tried it in big yardages.

For a bucket size, I would use 1/2 cup of vinegar, and 1/4 cup of salt. About 3 tablespoons of baking soda. Let them have a good soak, even over night, I have left mine for, but not necessary. There is a certain amount of washing out of the colour, I have found that coffee is the best for staining fabrics to give them that old aged look.

Gal

I've tea-dyed fabric without adding anything and it doesn't rinse away - in my experience it does fade a bit but only in the first wash. That's why accidental tea stains are such a nuisance: they just won't come out with normal washing.

Thank you for this tip

To make certain that the tea dye doesn't wash out irregularly, heat set it. Use a hot dry iron. It takes about 2-3 minutes to heat set an area about 20 " by 30". I always have used PFD fabric and don't have any experience with taking out sizing in fabric. Good luck.

Thanks Walen I forgot to mention this!

Gal

"PFD" means it doesn't have sizing and stuff in it to interfere with the dye...

PFD fabrics are "prepared for dyeing" so 1/2 the work is done for you. what ever method you decide to use just remember heat setting works wonders. also, curing time...i always set my freshly dyed fabric aside for at least 24 hours before rinsing then again before heat setting.

It does not make sense to me, but if I drip coffee all over my shirt, I have one heck of a time getting it to come out and that is before it gets to the washer, never mind if I accidentally miss it. Wonder why when you want it to set it has such a tough time doing it. I hope it works out well for you.

Judy, you are so right! However the reason I fuss so much is that I like to make old style looking quilts that have that antique look about them (or I sprinkle tea leaves over for a speckled/aged look) and I often 'overdye' new and used fabrics, when I have gotten a certain shade of tea/coffee to match in with other fabrics I do not over time, want them to wash out.

Gal

I know it is very nice when you get it done, it would have the antique look to it. If I did not have so many other projects on the go, I would try it. Good luck.

I just started saving left over coffee in the fridge to try this on.

Also I forgot to mention that you use the tea or coffee without milk!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Gal

LOL, gottcha! :thumbup: