by Danelle Karth

Created on: October 13, 2007

There is something to be said about the feel of antique. It is the warmth that it offers, the sense of home, and somehow a feeling of love. If it is fabric it is often felt in the warmth of the color, the age that has settled in to delight us. Antique fabric can make beautiful quilts, handbags, hankies, and many other wonderful products. But what is one to do when antique fabric isn't what they have, isn't what they really want to buy, or isn't at a price that they want to pay.

The answer is simple. It is time to give your new, bought yesterday, fabric an antique look. The process is rather simple and the results are wonderful. It doesn't take much money, or much time. There can be nothing greater when that is said!

First there is determining how dark of a color you want your antiqued fabric to look. If you are looking to add a warm hue to your material then tea is the answer. If you want something a little darker or browner (tea leaves a light brown with yellow tints, though you can use herbal teas mixed with regular teas for other hints of color) you can use coffee.

First brew tea or coffee depending on your goals. For coffee aim for two to four cups to every five gallons of water it will take to cover the material. For tea brew four to eight cups of dark tea for every five gallons of water it will take to cover the material. If you only need a small amount to cover your project, then brew one cup. While the tea or coffee is still hot dissolve one tablespoon of salt into the mixture (less can be used for a smaller batch). Allow the tea or coffee to cool completely before use (not a bad idea to put it in the refrigerator for a half an hour).

Fill a container that is large enough to cover the material you are wishing to antique with cold water. Add your chilled coffee or tea and then add your material. Soak your material for 20 minutes and then check the color of the material. If you wish it to be darker allow to soak longer. Most materials will color nicely in 20-60 minutes. Allow material to dry and then launder or use as normal.

Other textures can be achieved with other techniques. You can use rubber bands to tie dye a piece of material. Letting different parts of the material soak for different times will give it different color degrees. And making a past from coffee grounds and rubbing it on the material then allowing it to dry and scraping off the grounds will give an interesting textured effect.

Have fun, and enjoy your new antiqued materials. There is much you can do for an interesting piece of textile work!

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