How to Dye Coffee Filters – and DRY them too!
Coffee filter crafts are all the rage and have been for awhile. I actually just made my first coffee filter wreath and it turned out way better than I expected it to. I’m one of those “on the fly” crafters so if I can do it, I know you can! There is a little prep work that needs to be done when making coffee filter crafts, if you’re planning on dying your filters a certain color. It’s not difficult at all, so I’m gonna show you how to dye coffee filters and how to DRY them fast too – so you don’t have to wait to get craftin’!
Here’s what you’ll need:
water
food coloring of your choice
(I wanted pink and cream, so I used red food coloring on half of the filters and then I coffee stained the other half just using really strong day old brewed coffee.)
Instructions:
Decide how many coffee filters need to be dyed, depending on your craft.
Fill a bowl or container with water, starting with 2-4 cups of water. Then pour in some food coloring and try a filter or two out to see if it’s the right shade. Add more food coloring to get a little darker or more water to lighten the dye.
**HINT: Make them a little darker than you actually want, because after they’re dry – they’re going to be a little lighter in color.
After you get the shade you want, begin placing coffee filters in and soaking them in the dye. Just leave them submerged for a few seconds, then wring the dyed water out of the filters with your hands, and then lay flat on a cookie sheet or another surface. You want to make sure to squeeze most of the water out, so the filters aren’t dripping wet. You can dye 10-15 filters at a time to save a little time. Now you’re ready to dry them!
How to DRY dyed coffee filters quickly:
I’ve read online that just leaving dyed coffee filters out to air dry takes forevahhh!!!! I am not a patient crafter. At all. So, I decided to just stick those babies in the clothes dryer on low-medium heat. Literally put the filters IN the clothes dryer and dried them in 2 minute increments so they wouldn’t singe. DO NOT put them in and walk away from the dryer folks. We’re drying paper here, not a load of towels! You don’t want to use a high heat – just a low to medium. And again, DO NOT walk away from these as you’re waiting.
Check the filters every 2 minutes. You’ll eventually start to feel them getting dryer and dryer. Just dry them in 2 minute increments, and after about 5 times or so they should be pretty dry or at least starting to dry. Once they’re dry, I just put mine in a laundry basket and went and sat on the couch and made 2 piles. A pink pile and a cream pile. Just flatten them out as you stack them. You can store them in a coffee can or similar until you’re ready to use them.
Here’s what I did with mine……..
Click here for our Coffee Filter Wreath tutorial
Have you ever crafted with coffee filters?
Jenni
Jenni here! I'm the owner and primary blogger here at Sweet Pennies from Heaven. Married to my better half for 17 years and mom to one awesome little boy. We have 2 dogs, Pepper and Izzy. My favorite thing to do is nap. I love sweets and coffee. Sweet coffee.
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the chick behind this blog! I'm your ordinary, everyday wife and mom to an incredible pair of stinky guys! I am a self diagnosed coffee addict with a ginormous sweet tooth, preferably baked goods!! My hope is to help you, teach you, and entertain you on your way to a more thrifty and frugal lifestyle! Along the way, you'll find awesome recipes, great tips, and tons of randomness! We have loads of fun, so ya'll come back now, ya hear?!
I am not really crafty, so I need all the help I can get when it comes to stuff like this. I will have to try it.
Thanks so much for sharing this! It’ll definitely come in handy.
This turned out really great. It is such a neat and inexpensive idea. I can’t wait to try this.
This looks like such a fun craft! I’m going to have to grab another pack of filters to make this wreath, it will be perfect for spring! 😀
Oh my goodness that is an amazing idea! The kind of paper coffee filters are make this are perfect for crafting. You have officially blown my mind.
I can’t believe how well that turned out!! This is an amazing craft idea for Valentine’s Day!
I’ve never made a coffee filter craft. I need some rather large floral arrangements for the tops of my bookshelves, and my daughter would probably really enjoy the dyeing and arranging part of a coffee filter craft. Thanks for the inspiration!
What a great tip! I too am not patient when making DIY crafts. I like to have “almost” immediate gratification.
This looks really awesome, though I’m not a crafts kind of person; I know I could fail this miserably!
I would never have thought to use the dryer to dry coffee filters, I would have thought they would become brittle or burn up.
That looks so amazing! I cannot wait to do something like this with the kids!
This is an awesome post indeed. I love crafting and this wreath is just gorgeous. I love it and perfect colors. I am going to try this and will make one for my awesome boss. Thanks for sharing.
I never would have thought that you could dry coffee filters in the dryer! Those turned out great love the wreath!
Omg this is just awesome!!!! I love all things crafty so I need to give this a try 🙂
Oh how cute, I really love that wreath. I’ve got to try this, I still have a lot of coffee filters left that I don’t use since buying another Keurig.
Wow! What a pretty wreath. I love the colors that you used too.
I love crafting but haven’t done much with coffee filters yet–will definitely give this a try-great tips!
What a great idea! I never would have thought of this. Coffee filters are so inexpensive, too – they’d be the perfect craft supply!
I never thought about dying coffee filters. So, they are a replacement (sort of) for tissue paper type products?
That’s great about the dryer! I’m not a patient crafter either. 😉 I think this turned out nice.
I have a lot of coffee filters that I don’t use anymore. I don’t have any idea what to do with them. Your craft turned out really good. Very creative.
What a fun post. I love how easy it is just a bit time consuming. Thanks for sharing the whole process.
Brilliant! I will let my wife see this. I’m sure she would love this. Thank you for sharing!
Looks fabulous. You have great creativity. I am very much interested in doing craft works. This valentine’s day Coffee filter Wreath is really a great idea. Will have to try this for sure. Thanks for sharing.
This is such an awesome project. This is the first time that I’ve read about coffee filters for crafts and I am amazed. Your finished product is lovely.
I absolutely love that wreath! What a great idea – so easy and something I think I have to try! Thanks for the tutorial!
That wreath is so creative and beautiful! Perfect for Valentine’s day. I would never have thought to use coffee filters for crafts.
This is incredible. I love it and will try it as it looks pretty easy. Thanks for sharing 🙂
Food coloring and filters! How easy and fun I pinned this love this DIY idea!
How creative and beautiful all of this is. I’m loving how they turn out. I would have never thought of this myself.
Recently my daughter and i are doing more and more crafts together. We will use this idea for an easter wreath. Thank you
This is so creative, I would never thought of this! Loved this post!
Has anyone ever tried drying the flat cone shaped coffee filters in the drier?? I just dyed a whole bunch and they are taking forever to dry!! I’m scared the drier will ruin the shape.