It goes in this order.

Steep the tea bags. The tannins need to be activated. Hot water, enough time.

Arrange them on a 30 by 40 inch sheet of watercolor paper. This is the composition. It's adjustable while everything is wet. Once the paper dries, it's permanent.

Wait two days.

Press the dried paper with a hot iron. The paper warps as it dries. The iron flattens it. The heat also intensifies the color and sets the pigment into the surface.

Photograph the finished piece at high resolution.

Send the photograph to the factory. They print it onto silk. Silk chiffon or silk-wool blend depending on the design.

The scarf comes back. Hand-rolled edges. Packaged in a silk pouch.

That's the whole process. Every scarf in the collection started this way.

— Reed Slater
Teascarf Brooklyn

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