How to Dye Fabric With Leftover Coffee Grounds

Needing new window hangings, I dyed an old sheet with leftover coffee grounds and created something for nothing!

How I Began

I made new covers for the living room throw pillows. The colors were exactly what I wanted, but after, I noticed that the blue curtains I had hanging did NOT go with the new color scheme.

Going through all the fabric I found nothing that worked. Then I remembered another garage sale sheet I had. It was white, which was too bright for what I wanted, but there was plenty of fabric.

Since the sheet was 100 percent cotton, I decided to dye it. I first consider tea dyeing, then thought coffee dyeing would produce a darker color. An internet search turned up several tutorials, and I found this one to be most helpful. What I really liked was I  reused the coffee grounds that I normally threw out each day.

Saving coffee grounds was not a problem! I took a large plastic container and added my grounds to it each day. If I had a bit of black coffee left, I poured that in as well.

What You Need

• Deep plastic container for soaking fabric in
• Leftover coffee grounds

Instruction

Be sure to do this outside!!! I am serious - it will make a mess.

1) Into the old storage container, I dumped in the coffee grounds, leftover sludge, and some additional water.

 

2) Mixed it well and added the fabric, making sure there was enough liquid to cover the sheet. Then, I mixed it around and rubbed the grounds into the fabric to get a bit more color.

3) Then I let it sit and soak. After about 15 minutes, I shifted the fabric around. And waited some more. Another 15 minutes, and more shifting. And more waiting.

In all, I let it soak over an hour, trying to get the color dark enough. Then I added some vinegar to the water (the tutorial I referenced suggested using alum, which I did not have, or vinegar. I didn't really measure it, just poured some in - probably about 1/3 cup) and let it soak about 15 more minutes.

 
4) I pulled out the sheet, wrung out as much liquid as I could, and draped the sheet over my patio table and chairs to dry. Since I did not rinse the sheet (because I did not want to remove the color) there were a lot of coffee grounds stuck to it. They do fall off as the fabric dries which is why this project should be done outside! I dumped the grounds and liquid in the grass.

 

5) On a warm and breezy day, the fabric should dry in a few hours (and out of the sun, so it wouldn't bleach any of the color out). I shook it well to get all the dried coffee grounds off and looked at the color. It was pretty much what I expected.

Then I used a dry iron to iron the fabric and help set the color.

Final Thoughts

And that's it - dyeing with coffee. It really was easy to do, a bit of a mess, but easy to clean up if done outside. And as an added bonus - it cost nothing! I was able to reuse an old sheet and used coffee grounds instead of throwing them away. 

If you like to sew, check out my tutorial How To Upcycle a Sweater to a Purse. Don't throw out that old pullover sweater - upcycle it to a new purse. Step-by-step illustrated instructions are available on Etsy and Gumroad.

How To Crochet a Granny Square Christmas Stocking Decoration

Looking for more Christmas decorations for your tree? If you have a leftover supply of yarn you can crochet granny square. When sewn together, it looks a bit like a Christmas stocking and can be hung on your tree or around your home.



Granny squares are easy to make, making them the perfect project for someone who has learned the basic crochet stitches. They are a great project to carry around with you because they are small and easily transported - no need to haul that afghan with you.

Granny squares can be joined to make scarves, blankets, and wraps. An internet search for “crochet granny squares instructions” will turn up many results, often with pictures, so I'll only cover the basics here.

You can select any yarn and hook size you want. The larger the hook, the larger the final square will be. Play around with different yarns and hooks to find the look you like best. You can also use one yarn throughout or change yarns as you go, depending on how much yarn you have and the look you want.

To begin, make a foundation ring by chain 4; join the last loop to the first chain with a slip stitch and pull through. 

Round 1: *3 double crochet in ring, chain 2; repeat from * 3 times.
Round 2: *3 double crochet, chain 2, 3 double crochet in the 2 chain space, chain 1; repeat from * 3 times
Round 3: *3 double crochet, chain 2, 3 double crochet in the 2 chain space, chain 1, 3 double crochet in next space, chain 1; repeat from * 4 times
Round 4: *3 double crochet, chain 2, 3 double crochet in the 2 chain space, chain 1, 3 double crochet in the next space twice, chain 1; repeat from * 3 times.

(You can use the same yarn throughout, or you can change - with each round, only on one round, or for the single crochet edging. Play around with it and see which look you like. This is also a great way to use up leftover bits of yarn you have around. If you have enough for two rounds, use it, then switch over to another. Experiment, play, and see what you create!

The granny square is now finished!

To make the stocking, fold the square in half. With the same hook and same or different yarn, join the bottom and side together with a single crochet stitch. Put the hook through a chain on both layers; pull yarn through both layers and finishing stitch.

When you reach the top of the “stocking” continue with the single crochet stitches, but only go through one layer (so you will need to circle around the top of the stocking. When you complete the round, join with a slip stitch to the first single crochet. If you want a hanging loop, then chain stitch to twice the desired length of the loop you want; bring hook down and slip stitch next two first chain of the loop. Finish off.

Or, you can thread a needle with yarn and sew the edges together.

You now have a granny square stocking! Isn't it cute!



And now - what can you do with these?

They look really cute hanging from the Christmas tree:



They can also be used to hold the To/From cards on holiday packages:




As well as placecard holders for your holiday dinner table. Add a few pieces of candy and let the guest takes these home.



What other uses can you think of for these?

If you like to crochet, you may enjoy my tutorial How To Crochet Around a Wire Hanger. This makes them non-slip and adds a bit of padding. The tutorial is available on Etsy and Gumroad.

How to Wear a Long Scarf

Follow these easy styling tips for ways to wear a long scarf.

Long scarves can be very versatile, providing you with a multiple options for the price of one item. Change up various outfits and expand your wardrobe! How long should the scarf be? That depends on what you want to do with it! If you put it around your neck, and it is about knee length like the purple scarf I am wearing, then here are some options:

  Double wrap around neck - perfect for keeping your neck warm on cold days. Even though this scarf isn’t especially heavy or warm, by wrapping double, you create an extra layer that will keep you warm on colder days. If the scarf is still long, you can tie or knot the scarf as well.

 Drape around neck and let it hang

Or throw one end over opposite shoulder - 

Pin in place if desired to keep from falling off, or to add more decoration.

  

    Draped around neck it can be knotted low, for decoration, or high, for more warmth. 

 Fold the scarf in half length-wise. Place it around neck, with folded end on one side and fringed ends on other. Place fringed ends through the space created at the fold. Adjust to where you want it. 

 Belt - yes the scarf can also be worn as a belt over your tops or even your sweater or coat. Add a bright splash of color on dark grey days. Wear it high, or low, depending on which style suits your figure. 

These ideas are to get you started. Try it with your own scarves and see what you can come up with.

Duvet Cover to Pillow Cases

Not I remake is to be worn - by a person anyway. This remake is for my bed!

The backstory - in 1998, I bought a duvet cover for about $25 (on sale, of course!). It has served me well through the years, but a few years ago, I noticed it was faded and beginning to get some tears. I patched it as best I could, but it really needed to be replaced. However, I had trouble finding anything less than $50, and most of them I didn't like. So---I kept looking.

In March, while hitting the thrift stores to look for wardrobe for a movie I was helping with, I found one! In excellent condition, it was the right size, and - best of all - the place sold by the pound. So, my new-to-me duvet cover was under $5! YES!!!

The old cover, however, wasn't completely trashed. There was a lot of good fabric still in it, and I couldn't bring myself to throw it away. But what to do with it? It so happened that I also had a set of pillowcases that were getting threadbare and torn. So - make new pillowcases from the old cover!

It was a rather simple remake. Here's the steps:

•  I laid the old pillowcases on the duvet cover, and used them as a pattern, cutting extra to make them a bit larger and to allow for seams. 
• I stitched up the sides, zig-zagged the ope, then end turned it up and sewed a double seam to make it more decorative. 

I've been using them for several weeks now, and I am very pleased with the results.

There is still a lot of the fabric left, and I'm not sure what to do with it yet, but I'm hanging on to it for now. Surely inspiration will strike.

Dont worry,  the old pillowcases were not thrown away. Taking my pinking shears, I cut them into squares to use to remove my eye makeup and nail polish. 

My point is that before throwing something away, take the time to think of any alternate uses for the item - or the materials that make the item. I spent under $5 to buy the new-to-me duvet cover, and in the process got new pillowcases and new make-up remover pads.

If you like to sew, check out my tutorial How To Upcycle a Sweater to a Purse. Don't throw out that
old pullover sweater - upcycle it to a new purse. Step-by-step illustrated instructions are available on Etsy and Gumroad.

How Not To Felt a Wool Sweater

Attempting to felt a wool sweater did not go as planned. Hopefully you can learn from my mistakes.

What Is Felting?

Felting is when you wash a wool garment and the fibers meld together. It can produce a really cool look for knitted or crocheted items. I had thought about trying it for awhile, and had read some articles on it. It seemed simple enough. 

What I Did

When I decided to remake my Aran-style wool pullover into a purse, I thought about how it would look felted. Unfortunately, I thought about this AFTER I had cut the sweater in to. My "brilliant" plan was to try felting the sleeves to see if I liked the look of the wool. If I did, then I'd do the part I was using for the purse. Let me remind you that this sweater was machine made, not hand knitted. Which means that it is made up of many small pieces of yarn, not one continuous one as in hand knitting. So I throw the piece in the washer with some towels and go do other stuff. 

The Results

Return when load has finished to find-----a mess!!!! Bits of yarn were all through the washer, and what didn't come apart, was wadded up. No, I didn't take a picture. Fortunately, the trash can was nearby, and it was chucked in there. If I had any sense (which is doubtful, sometimes), I could have tried sewing around the cut edge to better hold it together. Or, put it in a pillowcase, again to help keep it together. But no, I just threw it in. Oh well. Lesson learned.

Next time, I'm going to follow these directions to felt a wool sweater and hope for better results.