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Wednesday, February 23, 2011

$4.00 curtains.


I had white cotton sheers in the living room.
Had.
I bought $4.00 worth of store-brand black tea.

Ready?
Wash curtains. Especially if they are like mine and have black dirt on the top of the tabs. 
I have 6 panels.
Fill up your washing machine with hot water, on large setting.
Take paper tags off of tea bags and toss into washer. I put all 48 bags in.


I let them steep about 10 minutes or so. Maybe a little longer.


I took them out with a strainer and pushed down to get all the tea out.



Then I added my 6 curtain panels.



About every 10 minutes I would close the lid so the machine would agitate, then I would lift the lid so the machine would stop and the panels could soak.


I did this for at least 30-40 minutes. 
Then I closed the lid and forgot to pull them out after the first drain cycle, so it ended up running through the whole cycle.
The end result was pretty impressive!



Can you see the difference? It looks very similar to muslin, but just a shade darker.
After I took the panels out, I dried them for just a couple of minutes to get the wrinkles out, then hung them over the shower to dry. 
After they dried, I did notice a couple of spots by the hem on two of the panels where the tea was a much darker stain, almost like a mark of dirt. Luckily, I was able to put the panels up in such a way that the spot was hidden by furniture.

When I was finished, I put a large cycle on and just ran some laundry soap and bleach through the washer to make sure I didn't tea-dye all my big -girl panties later.

Here is a link I looked at for some ideas on how to do this:

The panels in the dining room:




I especially like them with this old dictionary banner I sewed:


Oh, yes. More on the banner next week!!
Definitely.


The next thing to do is to get different rods...

or spray paint the old ones!

xo
lynn


linking to:
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and
and
o.k., 
and....

21 comments :

  1. Lynn,
    Wow!! I love it! I am a dying fiend...I think I need to find someplace that needs tea-dyed curtains!

    I can't wait to hear about the dictionary banner...

    Big hugs,
    Suz

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  2. What a great idea! But isn't it funny that I'm bleaching my drop cloths to get my panels whiter and you're tea dying yours to get them darker! Why are we never happy with what we have? lol!

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  3. I had never heard of the "tera method" before and I'm quite impressed. It worked out really well. And that banner is glorious.

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  4. My goodness Lynn!

    You have a bee in your bonnet!

    Look at all you are getting done!!!

    Maybe it is the big-girl panties?

    I better go shopping for some soon......

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  5. Wow, that is bold to put all those tea bags in your washer! Reminded me of "Little Women." But it works great!

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  6. I was all ready to cheer you on for the tea curtains when I got a jolt at the end with the dictionary banner. What? I can't wait to read about that one.

    And the curtains DO look great. I usually do my tea staining by hand so would never have taken on a big project. Now, I would be willing to try it since I never ever thought about doing it in the washer.

    They look great!

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  7. You are so clever gal! What a great idea! And too funny! I have been thinking about dying some vintage linen!

    Oh and the "fly" and birdy thing in the previous post...I LOVE IT!!

    Would you consider making one to sell to me? If so, how much would you charge for it? I would love to have it in my studio area, but have to watch my pennies, so let me know!

    Hope all is well and your week has been good so far!
    HUGS,
    Becky

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  8. What a fabulous (and inexpensive) way to change things up! Your results are lovely, Lynn. Can't wait to hear more about that banner - it's beautiful!!! Hugs, Terri xoxo

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  9. They turned out so lovely! Thanks for the tips!
    Have a fabulous day!
    Julie

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  10. Those look great and love the banner added to them. I didn't see a link to my party. Thanks for joining WUW this week.

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  11. what a great idea! much nicer than the results i got from washing my duvet cover with my husband's nasty work coveralls....who put those dang things in my washing machine anyhow?!

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  12. You are a brave gal, so glad they worked out!!
    Tracey

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  13. Those really turned out great, Lynn! They do have a muslin look now!

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  14. Such a great idea- I love tea stained fabrics too- thanks for stopping by and sharing this over at Feathered Nest Friday!! Hope you will come back by and say hello again sometime! :)

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  15. What great ideas! I love the dictionary banner too. I saw one somewhere recently that added bits of lace at the top. I'm thinking of doing something similar to my gate hanging on the wall in the studio. Beautiful!

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  16. Ok that was awesome! I have teabagged paper but never would have thought about this. They look fantastic.

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  17. Wow! They turned out great, and I love your dictionary banner! Theresa xoxo

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  18. WOW!! What a great idea.. The after effect looks wonderful.. My daughter just bought some beige curtains but she wants them to be whiter.. I was just telling her that she should put them in some water with bleach.. Do you think that would work??

    I also love those banners.. You have such wonderful ideas..

    Hugs, Linda

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  19. Oh Lynn! Please make me a bird!!!! I can't wait to get it! That is so sweet of you! We can handle it however you want!! I'm just thrilled that you'll make it for me!
    You can email me at junktojoyshop@yahoo.com
    Thanks! You made my day! ( and that's saying a lot since I said goodbye to my BFF today.
    BIG HUGS,
    Becky

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  20. Great idea!
    Love your blog background by the way!
    Thanks for stopping by my place and for your kind comment.
    Elizabeth

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  21. Clever! And I LOVE the dictionary banner...too cute!!!

    c

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