Dyeing my own Snuff Handkerchiefs today....

Yeah it’s snowy and cold here so it looks like the perfect day to dye some plain old white handkerchiefs a more suitable color for dusting the ol’ hooter.

What a great idea! Why didn’t I think of that!? Now I’m adding dye to my shopping list, and will be sure not to use the actual washing machine for dyeing, giving how my wife worships the clothes washer. I’m sure one of her nice pots and pans will do nicely. :smiley:

Carol was tie-dying a few kerchiefs…I wonder if she does it still…they looked nice!

I think I’d be tempted to try dyeing them with coffee. How to Dye Fabric With Coffee Changing its color is the fastest way to make an old piece of clothing new again. Items that were once favorites but that have become old and tired over time find new life and new importance in your wardrobe with a simple shift in color. You can change an item’s color simply, easily and cheaply by using something you likely already have in your home. Coffee has made an excellent dye for decades. It works wonders on natural fiber fabrics to darken lighter-colored fabrics or to deepen the color of already tinted items. Instructions 1 Brew a pot of coffee as you normally would. 2 Choose a container that when filled with water will allow your item to float and doesn’t require cramming the item into it in order to wet the entire item. The goal is even saturation and even color distribution. Fill the container with water. 3 Mix the coffee into the water. 4 Conduct a swatch test. With coffee, this is important before dying your intended item so you can get a feel for how quickly the solution you’ve mixed will darken your fabric. Either cut a small piece of excess fabric from your item, or use a small amount of similar fabric. 5 Wet the fabric swatch with clear water and then submerge it in the coffee dye solution. Keep the fabric moving so that no creases or folds form that will allow excess color to accumulate. Keep checking the swatch for color depth. 6 Remove the item when you’re satisfied with the color and rinse it in clear water until the water runs clean. 7 Examine the swatch for color depth and consistency. Remember that the color will be lighter when the fabric is completely dry. Keeping this in mind, use the test swatch to determine if the fabric you want to dye will give you the result you want, and to decide approximately how long you will need to let it soak in order to achieve the right shade. 8 Soak your item in clear water so that it is wet through. 9 Shake the item out so that there are no folds or creases that might cause the coffee to absorb unevenly. Then submerge the item in the coffee dye. 10 Pull the item every few minutes to check for color depth, and in between checks keep the item moving to encourage even color saturation. 11 Remove the item from the dye and rinse in clear water until the water runs clean. 12 Wring out the excess water. Tips & Warnings * Coffee dyeing works best on natural fiber fabrics, such as cotton, muslin and linen. * It only takes a few minutes for fabric fibers to start grabbing color, so check your piece often while it is soaking to make sure you don’t get it too dark. * Coffee-dyed fabrics hold up better and longer when washed by hand. Beware of commercial detergents because these will often be designed to remove natural “stains.” * Fabrics dyed with coffee will fade somewhat over time, so plan to repeat the dying process every few years. This will help you keep the soft glow dying with coffee achieves and ensure that your item always looks fresh.

Huh?

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coffee colors are perfect for this

show us some pics when you’re done giaach. carol’s tye-dye handkerchiefs were really nice. I have a few and they are among my favorites. Been washed many times, in warm water, and show no signs of fading so far. I’m really impressed by her work and surprised that we haven’t seen another round.

I like the coffee idea. Tye-Dye sounds really cool as well.

Carol’s hankies are the best. I have 2 and they are washed regularly and still haven’t faded. Where is Carol nowadays? If she sees this then a good “Ay up me duck!” from deepest darkest Derbyshire lol. Stefan

So here are those hankies that I dyed. For a first attempt they didn’t come out all too bad. I got a 14 pack of 100% cotton hankies for 4.99$, each dye box was 1.40$ so not too bad for the total price. The blue ones are definitely the best IMO.

We want to see one with a big brown Butterfly!

Hey those look sharp! Nicely done. I can do without the butterfly though, personally. I make enough of those on my own. :slight_smile:

A lot of cotton is treated. When I dye stuff, I soak my stuff in soda ash water. This makes the cotton take the dye so much better. Just put enough soda ash in the water to make it feel slick. Then soak, and wring them out until they are just damp, then dye them. This works well with fiber-reactive dye, but I don’t know if the same holds with different dyes.