Creating a new handcrafted fabric with an aged look

Many brand-new craft items found on the market today have been created to appear old and antique, as if they were found in the trunk of an attic or buried in a forgotten box in the corner of a dusty closet. Dolls, quilts and pillows are often constructed using new materials that have been made to appear aged and worn.

"Aging" fabric for crafts is easy to do and is an excellent way to make a craft item appear much older than it actually is. It can be done inexpensively in the kitchen using a large stock pot or Dutch oven, coffee or tea, and a yard or two of cotton fabric such as muslin.

If using coffee for your fabric, first make 10-12 cups of hot, strong coffee, just as one normally would, using about a tablespoon of coffee per cup of water in your automatic drip coffeemaker or percolator.

While your coffee is brewing, place an unfolded yard or two of cotton fabric into your stockpot or Dutch oven. Once the coffee is ready, pour it over the fabric you have placed in the bottom of your pot. The coffee will most likely not cover your fabric completely, so add just enough water so that the fabric is covered with the liquid and gently stir.

Turn the burner on to medium low and continue to heat the fabric for approximately 5 minutes or to desired darkness, noting that the fabric will dry a few shades lighter than it appears in the coffee mixture.

Carefully move the pot to the sink area, and remove the fabric with tongs. Place fabric in the sink and rinse with very cold water for 3-5 minutes. Squeeze out as much of the coffee/water as possible, taking special care to make sure that the fabric has cooled enough to be handled comfortably without burning your hands.

Fabric can be either hung to dry, which will leave irregular, darkened lines throughout, or can be put inside of a pillowcase tied with a string and placed in a dryer.

Another means of aging fabric is with tea (do NOT use instant).

First, heat water in a stockpot or Dutch oven filled about 1/2 to 2/3 full. Once the water has come to a rolling boil, remove the pan from the burner and place 6-8 tea bags inside, stirring until the water achieves a deep golden color. More tea bags may be added to make the mixture darker-colored, or water can be added to lighten it.

Once you have achieved your desired tint, add 1-2 yards of fabric and stir, covering all fabric completely with the mixture. Allow fabric to stand in the tea/water mixture for 4-5 minutes, and transfer pot to the sink area, following the same rinse and drying instructions provided for the coffee method.

A few things to remember:

Coffee dying tends to have leave "gray" cast to fabric and the odor can be more difficult to remove, even with multiple rinsing. Tea leaves a more golden color and the little or no scent.

Always use care when working with hot liquids or a stove and never leave a pot unattended on a burner. To avoid risk of fire, do not allow the pot to boil dry or allow the fabric to touch the burner or stove during the dying process.

Dye mixture can be reused. Place mixture inside of a covered container and keep refrigerated. Dye should be used within 2-3 days to prevent spoilage. Fabric will not achieve as dark a tint with reused dye.

Once your fabric has been dyed, it can be ironed and cut according to your pattern instructions. After your project has been completed using your new/old fabric, you'll have a handcrafted piece that looks as it has been handed down from generation to generation.

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