Make an old sweater new again & Drink red lavender tea

If you have ever ruined a beloved piece of clothing with a stain, then this post is for you.

I recently washed a bright red, non-color fast garment with a regular load of laundry. Luckily, most of my clothing was not affected. There are even a few light pieces that now have a pleasant rosy tinge. But one light blue cropped sweater didn't survive. I pulled it out to find smudgy pinkish blotches all over it! I rewashed it, but they remained.

For a moment, I was utterly dismayed. This little sweater was one of my proudest thrift store finds! But then it occurred to me I might be able to save it... by dying it a darker color to hide the stain.

Now, I know this isn't an solution for all stained clothing, especially when bleach is involved. But hey, black is always a classic! I was lucky that this sweater is made from cotton and rayon fibers. If your victim is not made from a natural or dyeable fabric, sadly, your item might be a goner. But don't give up just because a blueberry tumbled down your lovely linen lilac blouse! Dyeing clothing is easier than you might think. 

(For stains on darker clothing, I would recommending using RIT's Color Remover to lighten the whole garment, then dyeing it the shade of your choice.)

Dyeing is also a great way to simply update some items in your closet. The evil,  color-bleeding garment that caused this issue was actually once a rather dull, off-white and perpetually dirty-looking shawl cardigan. And okay, maybe it had a few teas stains too. Before and after pictures from that dye adventure below (taken on an old phone, so a bit pixelated, sorry!).

The same day I mutilated my precious sweater, I picked up some navy blue RIT powder dye as well as some disposable rubber gloves from the grocery store. Oh! And some red lavender tea made by Zhena's Gypsy Tea.

I figured it would be fitting to be sipping a red tea, since the horrible little stains I had created were the same shade. Red tea actually isn't true tea at all. It is technically a tisane made from the rooibos plant that grows in southern Africa. I don't usually make the distinction between teas and tisanes, though. They're all yummy and warm!

Rooibos red teas are one of my favorite non-caffeinated tea options because they are so flavorful. And how good does sipping lavender sound? Yum! Zhena's Gypsy Tea has become a new favorite brand of mine. They have wonderfully creative flavor options and some great seasonal blends. At my local grocery store, it is actually found in the natural foods section, rather than with the other boxed teas. If you see gluten free food, kombucha and Dr. Bronner's Soap, you're in the right aisle. You can also order teas directly from their website.

Ok, back to the project.

Here's what you will need:

a poor, stained piece of clothing (or something intact that you want to update)

RIT dye in the color of your choice (I have used both liquid and powder successfully)

latex or vinyl disposable gloves 

salt

a washing machine

a grubby towel

a 2 cup liquid measuring cup

a 1 cup dry measuring cup
optional: buttons and thread

The first thing you should do to prepare your item of clothing is to remove buttons. Buttons react differently to dye, so if you want to preserve their color, take them off and reattach them later. The buttons on this particular sweater kept popping off anyway, and I wasn't particularly fond of them, so snap go the scissors!

Next, you will want put on your gloves and open your RIT box and read the instructions printed inside (or on the side of the bottle for liquid dyes). I used the washing machine method, because I find it easiest but have had success with the more tedious stove-top method too. Be sure to read the fabric and dye preparation instructions as well as those for your selected dyeing method. I reread the instructions several times and also kept them around throughout the whole process for reference.

The first thing you will need to do is prepare your dye. This means mixing the powder with very hot water. I used an old plastic liquid measure for both measuring the water and mixing the dye. If you want to re-use your liquid measuring cup for cooking later on, I suggest you find another container for mixing the dye. To stir the dye mixture, I used an old teaspoon I found in my kitchen belonging to previous tenants. (Why is it that whenever you move into a new place there is always that one drawer the previous occupants forgot to empty?) I did all of this on a stained and grubby old towel. Dyes like this can stain grout and other surfaces, so beware!

sorry this one got a little blurry, I was mixing after all!

Next, I prepared the sweater and washing machine. I soaked the sweater in hot water in the sink, to open up the fibers and ready them to take dye. The RIT instructions call for using the hottest water setting your machine has. For me, that meant pushing the "hot-cold" button. RIT also recommends using an extended wash cycle. My rusty old machine conveniently has an "automatic presoak" setting. You can also keep an eye on the washer and manually reset the wash cycle before rinse, as suggested by the package instructions.

Once your machine has filled with water, slowly and carefully pour the dye mixture into the wash basin. (I believe there are other instructions for front-loading machines.) At some point in the instructions there is a suggestion for adding salt to the dye bath. It called for one cup, but I didn't have that much so I added a half cup of salt to the washer. Next, gently plop your soaked garment into the machine and start the cycle.

Now is the time to peel off those gloves and start enjoying that red lavender tea! I added a little bit of honey to mine. Keep an eye on your machine in case you need to reset the wash cycle.

Once the wash cycle was complete, and my mug empty, I reset the rinse cycle a few times. You can test if all the dye is out of your item by starting the rinse cycle, re-soaking it in the running water, then squeezing it. You might want to wear another pair of gloves to avoid dyeing your hands. Once the water runs clear, then your garment is ready to be dried. Note that the color will be darker at this point than when it's dry.

My dryer had trouble drying such a small item by itself, so I eventually threw in my grubby towel too. Throwing a dry towel into a wet load is a great trick for quicker drying, as long as the load isn't too big.

Finally, I pulled my new navy blue crop sweater out of the dryer. It was definitely a bit lighter than the color on the RIT box, but I just wanted the stain covered up, and that part worked like a charm. The only drawback is that the thread around the button holes was not a dyeable fiber and remained light blue. This is fairly common, but if it bothers you and you're an adept sewer, you might want to take that thread out and replace it with a color that matches your new item. It didn't bother me, since I figured that thread would be covered by buttons most of the time anyway. 

And that's the next and final step. New buttons!

A couple years ago I bought a small bag of assorted buttons from Michael's craft store. It has been immensely useful for so many projects. Of course, such a random assortment can be hit or miss. Be prepared to find a button style you love, then realize you are just one short of the number needed for your project. I went through several options in the pile below before settling on five buttons I liked. Although they aren't dark blue, I think their color works wonderfully with my new stain-free sweater!

Make a braided T-shirt headband & Drink gunpowder green tea

It's two o'clock in the afternoon and you're at work. Your lunch break ended an hour ago but it feels like it's been three. Your phone and inbox are silent. Your eyelids droop. Your mind wanders...

It's time for an afternoon pick-me-up!

My solution is a quick craft project along with a mini dose of caffeine and antioxidants. Why not make one of the free promotional T-shirts laying around your office into an awesome hair accessory? And while you're at it enjoy an invigorating cup of gunpowder green tea.

Of course this solution works great for a lazy day off too!

What you will need:
A T-shirt you don't mind cutting up
Scissors

Gunpowder green tea
I ordered this tea from Upton Tea Imports. Their site is a great resource for premium loose leaf teas. I have ordered tea online before, but haven't found better product quality than Upton provides. Their prices and shipping are reasonable too. Their first grade Chinese gunpowder green comes in these awesome little balls that are tons of fun to soak and watch expand. Also, you know a tea is good when it smells amazing even in the bag!

First, cut three strips from the bottom hem of the shirt, about one inch wide each. I used a large promotional tee from one of our business partners, but I've made this work with smaller shirts too. For the first strip I went ahead and used the hemmed portion of the tee. Once it becomes part of the braid, the slight difference in thickness won't matter. I used some hair clips I had on hand to keep the edges of the fabric even as I cut them.

Cut each strip so that it is no longer a loop, and more like a ribbon.

Hold the three strips parallel and tie them together in a loose knot. Leave about four inches of material from knot to strip ends.

Start braiding! Be sure to keep tension even so that the braid will have consistent thickness. You can see if you're almost done with your braid by wrapping it experimentally around your head. You will want the ends of the braided portion of fabric to just touch.

Once your braid has reached the right length, untie the knot you made at the beginning of the braid. Make another simple knot, this time uniting the two loose ends of the braid. Make sure the braid isn't twisted.

Like me, you will probably have strips of several different lengths sticking out of a sort of lopsided and chunky knot. Make sure the knot is pulled fairly tight, but not too tight that you can't lift up the individual strips making up the knot.

Now the creative part! And, incidentally, the trickiest. Take the end of each strip and tuck it back into the knot to form a small loop. I used the tip of my scissors to push the ends under a strand in the knot. For the longer pieces I made two little loops. I tried to make the loops somewhat random but still evenly distributed around the knot. This should create a flower or pompom effect. If you don't like how it turns out at first, you can easily pull out the loops and rearrange them!

Now you're ready to wear you're creation! And hopefully you have a warm belly full of green tea too. I like to position the flower on the side of my head, just above my ear. It's a bit more flirty!

Mini Post: Make s'mores cookies & Drink chamomile tea

Even if you don't make it out on a camping trip this year, you can still enjoy some delicious s'mores at home. This quick and easy no-bake cookie is sure to satisfy your desire for graham-crackery, marshmallowy, chocolatey goodness. And it might just make you the most popular person at work or in your own home.

And while you're at it, why not enjoy a cup of chamomile tea? I always bring chamomile tea with me while camping. It's a great way to stay warm after the sun goes down without the stimulating effects of caffeine. After all, who would want to stay up all night imagining every snapping twig as a bear coming for the marshmallow residue in the corners of your lips? But you're safe in your home right now, ready to enjoy the light herbal flavor of some chamomile as you expertly melt chocolate.

You can find chamomile teas at any supermarket and chances are you will have many types to choose from. I tend to enjoy those that are honey flavored, but the plain can be delightful too because it is naturally somewhat sweet. You should steep chamomile tea a little longer than black tea, about 10 minutes. Most herbal teas have a longer steeping time. For chamomile, I usually consider it ready when it is bright yellow (it helps to use a clear mug). Don't add milk, but feel free to add some honey, sugar or other favorite sweetener. You will find I'm a big fan of honey myself, especially darker, organic varieties.

Okay, now for the cookies. You will need: one jar of marshmallow cream (usually found in the baking aisle), a box of graham crackers, and 10 (yes ten) Hershey's milk chocolate bars. You could use other chocolate if you wish, but Hershey's is a s'mores classic and melts nicely. For equipment you will need a large and a small pot (or double boiler), parchment paper, a spatula or wooden spoon, a butter knife, a cookie sheet and optionally a silicone baking mat.

Break the Hershey's bars into chunks of three or four squares. It's faster and easier to melt chocolate that is in smaller chunks. Place chocolate in a double boiler. If you don't have an actual double boiler (I don't) then partially fill a large pot with hot water then place a slightly smaller pot inside it. Put this contraption on your stove top and turn the burner to high. Bring the water to a boil, then reduce to simmer because a rolling boil may cause water to splash into your chocolate. The double boiler allows you to melt the chocolate evenly and slowly to avoid burning. I usually put the chocolate in the smaller pot at the same time I turn the burner on. Stir the chocolate with a wooden spoon or spatula as soon as it's melted enough to do so. Frequent stirring will help the chocolate melt more quickly and again avoid burning. Keep going until no lumps show up when the chocolate is stirred and it has a consistency almost like really thick hot chocolate. Remove from heat, pour out the big pot and set the smaller one aside. Unless it's very cold in your kitchen it should stay liquidy, but you can stir it occasionally to make sure.

Open the graham crackers and break into quarters as indicated by the baked in perforations. This can be tricky, depending on the brand. I discarded the crackers I broke unevenly (into my stomach) but you can feel free to make them into sandwiches if you are less of a perfectionist than I am. Next, open up your marshmallow cream and grab a butter knife. Spread about a teaspoon of the cream on a cracker then place another on top of it. Give the sandwich a little squeeze. I used the knife to smooth the cream that oozed out of the sides, but that's optional.

Now the fun dipping part! Grab a graham sandwich and dunk it halfway into the melted chocolate. Swirl it around a bit, then let it drip some excess chocolate back into the pot. I used my spoon to scrape some of the drippings off. Place the dipped cookies on either a silicone baking mat or layer of parchment or wax paper. The chocolate will pool around the cookies a bit. After all the cookies have been dunked, transfer them to a fresh piece of parchment paper, lining a cookie sheet. Pop them in the freezer to harden. I left mine in there until the next day when I brought them to work,  but they should be nice and solid after about half an hour and should stay that way when returned to room temperature.

Finally, enjoy your sticky little treats! I guarantee you will keep coming back for just one more. These are s'mores after all!