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Tinting vintage crocheted pieces with tea, how to set color?

Last week I bought a large vintage crocheted piece I plan to use as a coverlet on my bed. There was one section, about 1 foot by 3 feet, where the maker obviously ran out of the color of crochet cotton she had used for the rest of it. This panel is a lighter beige, rather than the deeper tone of the rest of it.

My grandmother crocheted, and I remember her being very picky about the color she used. She liked a deeper ecru. Upon one occasion when my mother was taking her out on errands, she couldnâÂÂt find her typical color, just lighter ones. My mother promised to dye the finished piece with tea when she completed it.

On the next visit, she did. I vaguely recall her soaking it in a big pot full of tea on the stove, then rinsing it. The finished result was very nice. What I donâÂÂt remember was if she used something like salt to set the color. Or ironing?

To get back to my âÂÂnewâ piece: I used a paint brush to apply the tea to the lighter section, soaking it, but stopping short of it bleeding into the darker main body. I had tested it first on a small section the day before. After about 2 hours of soaking, I started blotting it dry. It looks pretty goodâ¦not exact, as the darker main body has a pinker cast to the ecru. But a whole lot closer to a match than before.

Any ideas how I can set the color? This was enough trouble that I really donâÂÂt want it washing out. IâÂÂm not planning on laundering this, but you never know. Should I try the salt, or ironing with a steam iron? I would prefer not to have to immerse the whole piece, just this section.

Cross post to Antiques. Thanks!

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