My first tea-dye experience

Almost two years ago, I purchased a simple circle skirt for roughly $30 USD from AliExpress. It was the very first piece I ever purchased towards my mori wardrobe. As you can imagine, it was a very exciting time for me that I tracked the shipping religiously and counted down each day before it arrived. By the time it arrived, I was shaking with excitement.

The listing picture lighting made it
appear warmer than it actually was

Prepared for a skirt I was sure to absolutely love out of the box, I opened the package and saw the skirt the hue of freshly fallen snow. And it was ... off-putting! I thought, "Is this really the skirt I ordered?!" Immediately, I compared the listing picture to the item I received. Much to my relief and chagrin, the skirt was exactly like pictured ... The tulle/lace pattern was the same, all the seams were good, the elastic band was the same width, and it did have the hideable straps. In fact, the skirt in the photo was probably the same bright white color, but the warm background and possibly the lighting made it look cream-toned.

So, I had a quality skirt that was too white for my liking.

I thought, I should try to dye it myself - with tea. The thin cotton skirt was just perfect for it, and I had the materials already. I heard so many things about tea-dye: it's inexpensive, it's easy, it's a fun process, it doesn't take long. So I did!

Because of the very large volume of my skirt, I chose to soak it in a large rubber bucket
instead of dying it straight out of the pot over stovetop. If my item wasn't very large, I
would have skipped Step 4 and just tossed it in the pot I used to boil the tea with.

Locations used:

Kitchen & backyard deck

Materials used:                                                                              Addition Materials you might need:

• 1 box of black tea                                                                     ●   Large mesh strainer
• Large pot for boiling (not pictured)                                           ●   Tongs
• Slotted spoon (not pictured)
• Rubber bucket
• Measuring cup




via Where Your Treasure Is, who
tea-dyes lace w/ a different method 

• White vinegar

Steps:

1. In the large pot, boil water over stovetop & toss in 15 tea bags to brew

2. Soak the item (my skirt) in cold water via the kitchen sink

3. Use the slotted spoon to remove tea bags from the pot

4. Transfer the tea into the rubber bucket *

      * one tea bag broke in the pot. Should have placed a strainer over the bucket when transferring the tea (but I didn't)

Coffee can also dye fabric. Instant
coffee is the fastest & easiest method!

5. Wring out the item of excess cold water and submerge in the bucket of hot tea

6. Keep agitating and submerging the item to ensure the item is dyed evenly

7. Soak for the desired time and/or until it's the color you desire. Mine took 10 minutes.

8. Transfer item to the kitchen sink & rinse with cold water until it runs clear

9. Air dry the item ** If I was unsatisfied w/ the color I'd repeat steps 5-7 ***

      ** opted to air dry instead of using the dryer, bc I was worried about staining it

      *** If I needed to re-dye, I'd have added some hot instant coffee to the old tea mixture

When you take the item out of the
tea dye, it appears a little darker
than it would be when dry (step 9)
(note: photo taken at sunset so the
skirt looks even oranger than irl)

10. If finished using it, pour out the tea mixture - it should never be consumed. Or, save the mixture to water your plants for a boost of nitrogen.

11. Refill the rubber bucket with an 8 to 1 ratio of water & white vinegar.  I used 16 cups of water to 2 cups of white vinegar. This is to lock in the color of your item permanently.

12. Soak the item about 5 or so minutes & periodically agitate to ensure even distribution.

13. Remove & wring out the item. Let air dry.

The Result:

The result was even better than I imagined! The synthetic tulle trim didn't really take the dye, and it's transparent white provided nice contrast to the light, peach color the skirt took on.

I've seen that the 2nd rinse with the water/vinegar solution does take some color out, so this method is best for items you don't want to be a very rich color. In this case, I wanted to achieve a very subtle color so tea-dye worked out perfectly.

Overall, this project was very relaxed and easygoing! And it turns out that this color is extremely versatile. This skirt is a staple in my closet and one of my absolute favorites. I've used this skirt in so many outfits as a supporting layer and sometimes as a central piece. Isn't it strange that a simple change in color can make something look completely different?

I'd 100% recommend anyone to grab a white item that you don't care too much for and give tea-dying a whirl. It doesn't even have to be a skirt, it could be anything: a shirt or tank top, scraps of lace or cloth, or even a handkerchief or doily you have lying around. Is there anything currently in your closet that you want to dye? There are many different ways and methods and I recommend playing around and having fun with it.

I hope you learned about the process of tea-dying and become inspired to try it out if you haven't already. Thank you for taking the time to read about my experience. See you next time! ❀