Aging with Coffee & Walnut

 Today, I thought I'd share with you a little bit about dying with Walnut Dye Powder and Instant Coffee. 
I am aware that there are hundreds of posts about this on pinterest, but, here is my 2 cents.

Below you will see some samples that , for anyone fairly new at this , might find helpful.  

I'm always aging CLOTH and PAPER.  And there are so many variants to consider when you want an old, antique look.

You have to consider the type of cloth or paper you are using and to what shade that you want the outcome to be.

Long ago, when I first started my creative business, Instant coffee was all that I used. Now-a-days, I find that most of the time, it is too "Orangy" for most projects. However , it just depends on the look you are going for.  

Take a gander at these samples....

THE SAMPLES ABOVE, WERE DONE WITH  1 TABLESPOON INSTANT COFFEE TO 1 CUP OF HOT, HOT WATER.

Walnut Hull Powder is great. I love the deep, brown tones that happen with it. However , often times it can take on a "purple" cast.  I find that happens mostly on plain, smooth, paper and certain smoother fabrics.  I have found that the longer the dye solution "steeps" that purple cast no longer exists. But, you must also consider that the PH of the water may also have something to do with the shades you end up with.  

Also, I should mention that walnut powder does not completely  dissolve.  There will be a residue left in your dye pot and will end up on your work.  It brushes off easily , but can be a little messy on your tabletop. 

My "go-to" solution for most projects these days is a mix of Walnut AND Coffee...

THE SAMPLES ABOVE WERE DONE WITH A MIX 

INSTANT COFFEE - 1 TABLESPOON TO ONE CUP WATER

WALNUT HULL POWDER - 1/4 TEASPOON TO ONE CUP WATER

Below, are the papers and cloth pieces that I started with.

 A LOVELY MIX OF ASSORTED DYED PAPERS. I like the contrast of the one botanical print that I didn't stain at all .  THE PAPER DOLL IS FROM MY LATEST "HERB & GARDEN" PRINTABLE SET.    I COLORED HER SKIRT AND JACKET IN WITH  BROWN ANTIQUING WAX  ( I need to do a post about that ! )  

Another photo of various papers from the same jar of dye that all the samples above were done in. 

I almost forgot to include a good example of a finished cloth project .  This ls my latest pattern... "The Common Pea-hen"

I made this one from natural linen, aged with the same walnut/coffee mixture. Brushed on with a paintbrush after it was stuffed, but before putting together. 

As I mentioned, there are so many variables as to how an aging project will turn out.  Another big factor is how it is DRieD .   I find, that if an item is left to be dried naturally, out of sun, it will end up a light shade. 

If the item is dried in the oven, it takes on a nice, and fairly even deep shade of brown.  If it is dried in the sun, it is also a good deep shade, but can end up spotty , often with very dark spots. Kind of "sunburnt" .

I hope all of this helps you a little.  I've been doing this for a whole lotta years, and sometimes things still don't age out as I had hoped.   It's not a science, you just have to experiment and consider all the conditions. 

My jars of walnut hull powder dye can be found in the

 Etsy shop.  

(I am trying to keep a bigger stock of it in these days.) 

It is a 1/4'' cup that will go a long way if you are just doing personal projects. I even throw in a little wooden spoon and a little instruction card. 

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Thank you for visiting today .  Happy Creating ! 

                 Dru Ann