The History of Dyeing
Prior to William Perkins (British Chemist) invention of
chemical dyes in 1856, all textile dyeing was done using organic materials such
as lichens, plants or insects. Many of these natural substances used for dyeing
were expensive and labour intensive to extract. At the time, dye that was purple
was made from the glandular mucus of certain molluscs. However, when Perkins accidently discovered
how to make the chemical dye Mauveine, he realised that this could be used as a
substitute for purple dyes and could be produced much quicker and on a larger
scale.
Letter from Perkins with sample of dyed silk.
What happens when you dye a piece of fabric?
When you die a piece of fabric, the fibre and
water are in competition for the dye.
This battle is resolved by carefully controlling variables such as temp,
pH and auxiliary chemicals. Reactive dyes require alkali and substantial
amounts of salt to create a bond between the fibre and the dye. Reactive dyes
are used to dye cellulose fibres such as cotton and linen. Acid dyes on the
other hand, are used to dye protein fibres such as silk and wool. Mild acids
such as vinegar can be used to lower the pH of the dyebath so that it is
slightly acidic which causes the dye to bond to the protein fibres.
Step by Step of Natural Dyeing
Step by Step of Natural Dyeing
Berries
-
Water
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Iron rock salts
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An old saucepan
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Material to dye (preferably a light colour e.g.
white or cream)
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Gloves to wear when handling the dyed fabric as
it may stain your hands otherwise!
What to Do:
-
Make the colour fixative – Mix half a cup of
iron rock salts with 8 cups of cold water.
-
Soak the fabric in the colour fixative for about
an hour before you start the dyeing process. This prepares the fabric to accept
the dye.
-
Make the dye – Chop the berries and place them
in a saucepan. Add twice as much water and bring to the boil. Simmer for about
an hour and strain.
-
Rinse the fabric that has been in the fixative
for an hour in cool water until the water runs clear.
-
Put the fabric into the dye and leave it to
sock. For a stronger shade, leave the material in the dye overnight.
- Try tying rubber bands around the material before putting into the dye to make patterns on the fabric.
Other Natural dyes you can use:
One important concept here is use of chemicals called MORDANTS. Oftern you simmer the cloth with the mordant for maybe 1-2 hours. This gives the mordant time to attach to the cloth. Sometimes you need to add another chemical to get the acidity right. MORDANT means BITING - because the chemical bites into the cloth. Then you add the dye. This attaches strongly to another part of the mordant chemical. If the mordant weren't there, the dye could not on its own attach strongly enough to the cloth and would wash out too easily. The mordant is a chemical like iron sulphate or potassium aluminium sulphate. The mordant you use affects the strength of the colour you get.
ReplyDeleteSo what dye and what mordant are you using for Saxon dyeing in the woods?
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ReplyDeleteFor the Saxon dyeing in the woods, we used berries to dye the fabric and iron salts as the mordant. I have now explained above how this was done and researched some more natural dyes that can be used to create alternative colours.
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