Newly purchased fabrics may be coated with a finishing spray, so it is especially important to follow through with this step. If you are looking to create a darker tint with the coffee, use more coffee or use a dark/very strong roast. If you would like a lighter tint, use less coffee or use coffee that is a light or medium roast. As an alternative to preparing several batches of coffee at home, you can use instant coffee or you can purchase brewed coffee from a local store or coffee shop. This could be significantly more expensive, however.
The size of the pot will depend on how much fabric you are dyeing. As a rule of thumb, you will need a large enough pot to completely submerge the fabric in water.
Since the water just stopped boiling, it may be best to use a wooden spoon, so as not to burn yourself or ruin your utensils.
After rinsing the excess coffee dye, you will be able to accurately tell how dark the fabric has been tinted. If you still want the fabric to be darker after rinsing it, you can steep the fabric again. Once you have achieved the desired tint, prepare a large enough container to hold all of your fabric with cold water and let the fabric soak. You can add vinegar to this cold water bath and let soak for ten minutes to set the dye. [3] X Research source
The coffee dye described above will not provide a completely colorfast finish since it is a natural dye, which means that the color will fade a bit with each successive wash.
You can wash the fabric with the rest of your clothes or just wash it by itself, depending on your preference. Be sure to follow the washing instructions of the fabric, if provided. You will need enough coffee grounds to cover the entirety of the fabric that you are dyeing. You may need to brew several pots of coffee for this purpose. Pick a dark roast to dye the fabric darker and a lighter roast if you do not wish for it to be very dark. This is a great way to make use of your used coffee grounds. If you are a regular coffee drinker, you can save the used coffee grounds for this method.
Stir the water into the grounds with a wooden spoon so that the water has evenly penetrated the mix. It does not need to be a fine paste so stirring spoon 7-8 times should be enough.
This can be messy so you will want to do this somewhere where it is acceptable to make a mess, such as in a garage. You can also lay down plenty of newspaper to protect the floor or carpeting.
Do not let the fabric air dry in the sun because the sun will fade your fabric. [7] X Research source
The fabric will need to be completely dry for the best results with the hot iron.
You can wash the fabric with the rest of your clothes or just wash it by itself, depending on your preference. Be sure to follow the washing instructions of the fabric, if provided. If you are looking to create a darker tint with the coffee, use more coffee or use a dark/very strong roast. If you would like a lighter tint, use less coffee or use coffee that is a light or medium roast. As an alternative to preparing several batches of coffee at home, you can use instant coffee or you can purchase brewed coffee from a local store or coffee shop.
Reserve different squeeze bottles for different types of roasts (i. e. one squeeze bottle with a dark roast, another bottle for a light roast).
Spread the fabric out completely. Take your finger, place it in the middle of the garment, and begin turning your finger and hand clockwise. The fabric will start to bunch up as you twist. Be sure to keep the fabric orderly and create a circular shape, like a very wide and short cylinder, similar to the shape of a pie. Once the fabric is shaped like a pie, rubber band it in sections as if you are dividing the pie into eighths.
Once you have finished dying the top part, flip it over and dye the bottom.
If you have a lot of fabric, you can use a plastic storage container. They vary in size from a shoebox-size to large enough to store kitchen appliances and other large items.
