Monday, October 15, 2012

Fall Quilt - coffee stained ;-)

Today I finished quilting and coffee staining my Fall quilt. 

Before quilting and staining.

2/3 c boiling water, instant coffee and mister

Make sure the instant coffee is completely dissolved

Fill the mister (don't burn your fingers)

I draped the quilt over the island in my kitchen and started misting with the coffee mixture - very scary - LOL
I misted it quite heavily not knowing what the end result would be.

Here you can see the difference in the coffee stained block and non stained block - I really like the results of the first block so I continued but with a 'lighter' hand (knowing I could add more if needed.
Here's the quilt after I coffee stained all the creamy white areas and I'm quite pleased with the results.  The creamy white areas do not look as bright.  :-)  The picture may not show the difference but trust me it looks much, much better.  :-)

I tossed the quilt in the dryer hoping the heat would set the coffee staining (as it would any other stain) but it may wash out the first time it's washed with detergent. 
 One of the local quilt stores carries a distressing/aging liquid that may be more permanent so I'll pick some up soon.  In the meantime I'll bind it and hang it for decorative purposes.  :-)

In Friendship!

24 comments:

Michele said...

That really looks great! I've heard of tea staining before, but not coffee staining. I love it :-)

Robin said...

I like it. Thanks for being brave enough to treat a completed top so we'll have the courage to try.

Kathy said...

Looks great!

If the distressing agent your store has is Instant Antique, be careful. Mine had a defective nozzle and dripped on my fabric - it left big blobs that won't come out. I tried to rinse it out immediately, but it doesn't completely rinse away. My project is much more ratty looking than I intended. Word to the wise - try it on a test piece first!

Betty Lou said...

Great tutorial, never thought of spraying with coffee.

Kindred Quilts said...

I love the coffee stained look! I use Rite Tan Dye (liquid). I usually dilute it more than what the directions recommend. Thanks for the tutorial on coffee staining.

Quilter Kathy said...

Very very brave of you!

Carol said...

Looks good. I bought some antiquing stuff from Temecula Quilt Co. And it worked good. It was $2.50. The instructions said to scrunch it up and put in the sun to dry so that's what I did.

AnnieO said...

Nice effect! I agree, that was brave :) Hope it lasts just fine.

paulette said...

I'm so glad that there is a happy ending!! Yeah!!
P

Lesley said...

Gorgeous quilt...so glad it all worked out!

sandi s said...

I love your coffee idea. Your quilt looks great.

Kim said...

Ive heard that coffee and tea have tannin acid in them and will eventually eat the fabric. I suggest either the Rit dye, or I read that you can use brown acrylic paint and dilute it down to the color you like. It stays soft, but no acid.

Wendy said...

Great job with your quilt. I've used tea but not coffee.

*karendianne. said...

I love it! Very adventurous. :) thank you for sharing the pics of the process.

Cheryl said...

Looking good! Some may wash out, but not all, I think.

Lori said...

My favorite way to age a quilt is with instant folgers!!

Glenna @ Hollyhock Quilts said...

Love it! Just gives a nice patina.

Nanette Merrill said...

I like the idea for a fall quilt. It looks good. I'll have to remember this.

Carrie P. said...

I like that idea. thanks for sharing.

QuiltNut Creations said...

Great idea!

Linda in Calif. said...

I think it looks better stained and it was fun to see you do it. I tea stained fabric a long time ago - but I didn't like the uncontrolled nature of it. I didn't know it it would stay stained and to what degree it would.

Mary on Lake Pulaski said...

Love your fall quilt and your special finishing touch Darlene!

PunkiePie (Jen) said...

Now that I see the difference, the stained treatment works much better with the overall look and feel of the fabrics used in your top. Nicely done!

Ranch Wife said...

Aren't you clever! I like the way it softens the quilt - I'll have to remember that because I love the look!

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