How to Dye a Smocked Insert with Tea

One of my favorite ways to put together a smocked dress is with a pleated insert, and since I love to use printed fabrics, it is the only option if I am picture smocking. Often the fabric that I have chosen for the dress or overalls does not have a bright white background. In fact, my daughter who is trying to keep my granddaughter’s dress clean, much prefers if the background fabric is not bright white. I have found that using tea to dye the insert is a quick and easy way to reduce that bright white shine of the insert and give a soft white or cream tone to the fabric. Here is the video if you prefer to watch and listen, but the steps are written out below as well.

1.        Gather the Needed Supplies for the Tea Dying Process

Prepare 1 cup of tea using 1 black teabag. Let it steep for a half hour.

Prepare a second bowl with 1 cup of water and ¼ cup white vinegar.

2.        Saturate the Strip

You may dye the strip before or after pleating it. If pleating first, leave long tails so that it can be flattened out. Gathering the strip up into pleats first may result in the dye not being uniformly distributed. Thoroughly saturate the strip with water. This helps to evenly distribute the dye.

3.        Immerse the Strip in the Tea Dye

Immerse the strip in the tea and watch carefully. Leaving the strip to soak overnight will result in a soft brown color. I only gave my strip one minute because I still wanted to the strip to be white, but just a soft white. The color will appear darker while wet, but it is better to let the fabric dry and then dye again if you would like the color to be darker.

4.        Rinse the Fabric with Water

Once the fabric is the desired color, thoroughly rinse it in water until the water runs clear.

5.        Immerse the Fabric in the Vinegar Solution

Immerse the fabric in the vinegar solution and allow to soak for 15 minutes. This will help set the dye. Remove the fabric from the vinegar solution and rinse the fabric in clear water to remove the vinegar. Allow to dry!

The finished piece is a much better match for the fabric! Happy Smocking!