Tea Stain Dye Samples

Samples from Marjie McWilliams' online class at Quilt University.

The variety is amazing!
Rows 1+2, 3+4 are the same teas.
Rows 1+3 use an Alum Mordant.
Rows 2+4 use a Vinegar mordant.

Teas Used : Twinings Earl Gray, Bigelow English Breakfast, Folgers Instant Coffee, Celestial Seasonings Cranberry-Apple Zinger, Bigelow Fruit & Almond, Celestial Seasonings Wild Berry Zinger, Belfast Bay Rooibos Chai, Stash Peppermint.

One sample stayed in the tea cup for 15 minutes.
The 2nd sample stayed in the tea cup for 1 hour for a deeper, richer color.

Of note : The Alum Mordant turned fruity pink tea stains into a blue or sagey green color. It also turned peppermint into a nice yellow.

Last summer, I tried Tea Stain dying to get skin tones for fabric portraits. But most of the color washed out with the rinse water. Marjie's method seems to work much better! I think the secret is that we don't mordant or rinse until the stain has set (ie, dried and heat set).