I needed a fabric that looked like wood, but the only one I could find at the time was way to light. So I tea-dyed it. I boiled a couple of tea bags, then put the fabric in and let it soak for an hour or so. Then I rinsed it well and ironed it dry. The color came out perfectly for what I had in mind.

Okay - I'll do it. I'm going to start with the spray bottle then may put it in a bowl. WHere I've sprayed it should turn out darker, right? I'll post before and after pics when I get it done.

Have tea-dyed fabric several times. Just put it in a large pot of hot water with the tea bags tied up in muslin and let it soak. It will get that mottled look {if you want it} by not aggitating it. Keep bags from touching fabric so you don't get a darker spot on fabric.

Okay - I used the spray bottle and really like how it turned out. The pic has:
The fabric with writing on it is what the LQS clerk thought would work in place of mottled music note fabric I couldn't fine. I agree that the IDEA is the same, but I WANTED MUSIC NOTES. (I'm a piano teacher and this is going to be a wall hanging above my piano.) On top of the writing fabric is the white/black music note I sprayed with tea. THe white/black next to it is the original too-white music fabric. I think this will work just fine.

The larger block with writing on it was white/black. I have 4 blocks with writing that will be the focus of the wall hanging.

Thanks for all your help!

I tea-dyed the appliques for my wedding gown 21 years ago. The appliques I wanted only came in white and my gown was ivory. I was quite pleased with how they turned out. :o

When I tried to tea dye, and then washed the fabric most of the color came out in the wash. I better check out the www sites. Thanks for that information

Since this is for a wall hanging there's much less to be concerned about than if for something that would be washed more often. I am ironing a lot, but .. don't know that it matters.

I have. If you iron it when it is still wet it mottles more.

A friend uses Chamomile tea instead of regular tea like Liptons cause it turns it more golden than a dingy brown.

Looks like you solvled your problem. I like the final effect much better. Just a few comments for future dyers. I had a picket fence made of white striped fabric to put in a quilt and it was too bright so I wanted to tea dye it. I tried small pieces in steeped tea, instant tea, regular instant coffee and and decafinated coffee. Each one gave a differend tint. I also used some onion skins boiled in water. That gave kind of a peach color. So try a scrap of your fabric to see what you like.