It’s taken a while, but I’m now dying with tea. Cream wool is pretty but the colour doesn’t seem warming enough for winter. This men’s wool knit is a favourite op shop find from a few years ago and I enjoy its soft cosiness. Its upcycle as Sew 190 happened by chance – when I splashed it with tea while lounging on the sofa. Although I immediately sponged it, the tea stain remained.

The solution was to gather all the ‘best before 2012’ tea leaves and make a big brew. The wool absorbed the colour beautifully and evenly. I left it soaking in the brew for about 30 minutes, spun out the excess then dried it in front of the fire. The jumper is now a beautiful caramel shade and smells of Earl Grey. 

I’ve teamed it with a wool-crepe shirt upcycled into a skirt. The shirt had been well worn and was passed on to me (thanks Jane W) because the fabric was worthy of a second-life. It didn’t work as a skirt for me, so I turned it upside down, cut off the sleeves and sewed the side-seams. The front fastenings work as they did, and the collar creates an interesting hemline feature. I dunked the skirt in tea also, but it didn’t absorb much colour, suggesting it has other fibres in addition to wool.  I mended (and also tea-dyed) the wool tights for under the skirt. The wooden beads were op-shop found and the shoes a friend’s cast-offs.