How to Dye Cotton Doilies Using Tea

If your white cotton doilies are in need of a change, or show signs of yellowing that you are finding difficult to remove, dying them with tea may be the solution. Instead of throwing away the cotton doilies, you can breathe new life into them by dipping them in a tea solution. This treatment will deepen their color and give them a beautiful new beige tone, or even a color as deep as caramel. Even if you have decided to go with a new antique look to your décor, there is no need to replace your existing cotton doilies when you can color them with tea.

Things You'll Need

• Tea bags
• Large pot
• Water
• Cotton doilies
• Clothes line

Instructions

1. Add 20 tea bags to a large pot. Use a pot that will be large enough to hold the doilies, along with the water. A large soup or stew pot should work perfectly.

2. Fill the pot halfway with water and bring to a boil. The tea bags will begin to release the tea at this point and the water will begin to turn a deep brown. If the boiling water appears to be too light in color, add more tea bags.

3. Allow the boiling water to cool. The tea bags will steep and continue to release the color of the tea. When the water has completely cooled, remove the tea bags.

4. Place one of the doilies into the cooled tea water. Leave the cotton doily in the tea water until it reaches the desired shade. The longer you leave the doily in the water, the deeper the color will become.

5. Hang the doily to drip dry in an area that will not be negatively affected by tea-colored drips. Hanging the doilies to dry on an outside clothesline is a good choice.

6. Continue the process until all of the doilies are appropriately colored with the tea water.

Tips & Warnings

• This process will also work well with any cotton linens. Cotton tablecloths and curtains can also be dyed in the same manner, but you may need to dye a section at a time.

• Tea dying can also be done in a bathtub, although the process is better suited for larger cotton linens. Of course this would involve bringing the boiled tea to the bathtub and requires several pots of tea to accomplish the task.

• Boiled water can cause severe burns if not allowed to cool before the tea dying process.

• If you do receive a burn from the boiling water, treat immediately. If the burn is significant, seek medical attention.

Resources

• Cotton clothing can also be dyed using tea