Using Coffee As A Dye
The backgrounds shown on this page were all created using cooled, brewed coffee. Remember to use the right (rough) side of Sheer Heaven for all these procedures.
coffe dye sample 1 coffee dye dark sample 2

For Samples #1 and #2, spray Sheer Heaven with Krylon Webbing Spray (White) and allow it to dry.

Brew a pot of coffee and allow it to cool to room temperature. Find a shallow pan bigger than your paper and pour the coffee into it to a depth of at least 1/2 inch.

Slip the Sheer Heaven into the coffee with its right (rough) side up. Make sure the coffee covers the Sheer Heaven completely and let it sit while you do other things. After 15 minutes, your Sheer Heaven will resemble Sample #1. The longer it soaks, the darker the color will be. Sample #2 shows the color that results from an overnight soak.

When you have achieved the desired color, remove the Sheer Heaven and rinse it under running water to remove any coffee, and then lay it on its back on a paper towel to dry.

Sample #3 illustrates an effect we discovered by accident. We laid the Sheer Heaven right side down in a pan that had a pattern on the bottom and found that the coffee dye “printed” the pattern. So we did it again - on purpose this time - laying the Sheer Heaven right side down on a rack with holes and got Sample #3. This suggests lots of possibilities: lace, those textured rubber drawer liners, an unmounted rubber stamp . . . anything that will lay flat in the coffee. Try this and let us know what you discover.

Sample #4 was coffee-dyed and the the leaf (PSX) was stamped in dark brown pigment ink and colored in with soft pastels. Pastels are wonderful on Sheer Heaven - when blended, they “sink” right into the surface and stay put - without a fixative!

The photo bottom right shows a luminaria made with our “Lamp-In-A-Bag” kit. The shade is made of Sheer Heaven and we used coffee, coffee beans, colored pencils and cappucino mix to get the colors. Click on the picture to go to the Tips/Techniques page for this lamp which has complete instructions.

Sample #1
Sample #2
coffee dye pattern sample 3 coffee dye sample with pastel
Sample #3
Sample #4
cappucino lamp or luminaria
Celebrate the Moments of Your Life - Coffee Luminaria
Close Window toReturn to the Sheer Heaven Page