Dyeing skin-toned fabric

[weliveintheforest]

I would like to make some dolls with materials I have on hand.

I have undyed bamboo velour, and some very pale natural cotton coloured t-shirts from the thrift store.

Is there any way I can dye these with tea or something and get a good colour? Or do I need to invest in good dyes and soda ash etc? I live in a small town where I can't get much, and if I can use what I have I'd be very happy.

The only dyes I have are magenta, yellow and turquoise procion dye, and I have some alum but no other dyeing stuff.

[weliveintheforest]

bump

[SageR]

I've done exactly this. I ordered some fabric online to make some Waldorf style dollhouse dolls and the color was just bad. I ended up just counting it as a loss and dying some natural cotton I already had with coffee and tea. Coffee is more of a greyish brown tone while tea has some pink/orange in it. I brew the liquid (strong!), dissolve a bit of salt and washing soda in it, and then let the cloth simmer in that in a pot for awhile. It's not color fast like using a synthetic dye but it won't completely come out in the wash.

I have also used the spice tumeric for a lovely yellow color.

[weliveintheforest]

thank you! I will try the tea today.