Creative Journal - Day 13 (Tea)

Use tea leaves or tea bags (used or unused) or even just liquid tea (in a cup or not) to create something today.

I appear to have been missing in action for a few days. I was simply experimenting with various tea options. As a quilter 'tea dying' is a common term. Apparently, quilters use tea (and coffee) to dye fabrics to give them an 'ol' world charm'. Maybe I'm doing it wrong, but most things just looked stained to me.

My first attempt, I thought I'd write a word with a crayon on fabric and dye it.

If you look really, really, really closely you might be just able to make out the word "study". However, it wasn't heavy enough to resist the tea staining and can't be seen at all in the dry fabric.

Take 2, I decided to shave wax on to the fabric, cover it with baking paper and iron it in. My theory is that the wax would penetrate the fabric and could be washed out later. Home-made batik.

Ah, all very well in theory.

The final, dry fabric has just got a slightly pink, slightly brown patch in the centre.

Take 3 (I didn't even take photos) - I piled tea leaves in the pattern I wanted on the fabric and left it sit. However, the stain spread and I ended up with just a slightly brown patch in the centre.

Take 4 (oh, yeah, that's why I've been missing in action for so long) - I taped off the areas I didn't want stained. It worked somewhat better than the first three options. Unfortunately, my perception of negative space isn't too crash hot and I was missing an outside bor
der to my image. Again, a slightly brown patch in the centre.

So, today, I finally called the tea dying quits. Instead I opted for the easy path. A "tea T".

All I can say is, good thing I drink tea every day!