To distress a cotton muslin doll with tea or coffee is easy and fun. This makes the doll look antique, old and weathered...
You can do distress you muslin doll in two ways;
A. staining the fabric before sewing the doll
B. Staining the fabric after you have made you muslin doll.

Lets start with "A." first.

What you need:
Prewashed cotton muslin fabric
a big bucket, sink or basin
A container of dark coffee...
when I say "dark" coffee for all you non-coffee
drinkers, I mean using alot of coffee
for a small amount of water.
a plastic hanger (optional)
cinnamon (optional)
cloves (optional)
nutmeg (optional)

If you have a coffee maker
brew 1 full pot with 8 tablespoones of coffee.

If you don't have a coffee maker, you can buy the
folgers crystals that you just add water to, or the
filter bag with coffee in them that look like tea bags.
(add 8 tablespoons to each gallon of hot water)
(or if you have bags, add 8 bags to each gallon
of hot water)

Now take your cotton muslin for the doll and push
it all into the bucket,sink or basin. At this point I like to add
cinnamon,nutmeg and cloves. I let it soak for 30-60 mintues.

I take it out still dripping and hang it over a hanger and let dry
out in the sun.
You can also bunch up the coffee soaked fabric and let dry that
way, on a lawn chair or table, or otherwise clean area directly
in the sun... this creates a more crumbly look to the fabric.

After it has dried, iron it and proceed to cut your pattern as
you would for any other muslin doll.

Sew as directed.
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And now for "B."
If you have already sewn your cotton muslin doll:

Make sure your doll is undressed ...simply take a dropper, spoon or soaked
rag and drip the darkest of the coffee/spices mix all over the doll..
let her air dry or better yet, sun bake.

You can also keep your doll fully dressed and repeat the coffee dripping
proccess on the clothes and let air dry or sun bake.

If there any coffee or spice particles left on after fully drying I
just dust or flick off...

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Tea staining for your antique primitive cotton muslin doll.

Per each gallon of hot (very hot) water I use about 4-5
tea bags....it doesn't matter what kind of tea...it is fun
to choose different flavors for different smells. Cinnamon
Apple tea with a little big of extra cinnamon sprinkled in
makes for a very yummy smelling and antique/distressed looking
cottong muslin doll.

I do the same with the mixture and clean pre-washed cotton muslin
as I did for the coffee directions.. I soak it for 30-60 minutes
and let air dry or sun bake. Crumpled in a ball or hanging
or a plastic hanger.

I also do the same as I would for coffee staining the already
made primitive cotton muslin doll. I simply drip on tea infused
with spices all over the doll, dressed or undressed and let air
dry or sun bake and flick off or wipe off any larger pieces of
tea or spices after it is fully dry.


I wish you the best in your primitive antique
muslin doll making endevours!!

xoxox
Debbie Kirkpatrick