ORGANIC DYEING
Nature is full of beautiful colours that attract human attention. Natural dyes have been used since ancient times for dyeing of body, food, walls of caves, textiles, leather and objects of daily use. A large number of plant, animal, insect or mineral sources have been identified for extraction of dyes and pigments. The art of dyeing is as old as human civilisation. Dyed textiles found during archaeological excavations at different places all over the world provide evidence to the practice of dyeing in ancient civilisations. Earliest written record of the use of dyestuffs in China comes from year 2,600 BC. The use of cochineal as a textile and paint dyestuff in Mexico and Peru dates back almost 3,000 years. Alizarin, purpurin and indigo were identified in the Late Bronze Age on textiles found in Chinese Yanghai. Prehistoric discoveries of textiles in Europe document the use of alizarin and purpurin from the 4th century BC. In 55 BC Romans found painted people "picti" in Gaul dyeing themselves with woad (same chemical content of colour as indigo). Start of 16th century was the time when France, Holland and Germany began the cultivation of dye plants as an industry. Natural dyes were used for colouring of textiles till the 19th century when synthetic dyes pushed them out.It is only since few decades ago that textile industries have turned to synthetic dyes, but they were so successful that natural dyes currently account only for about one percent of the total amount of dyes used worldwide. And this is so even thought that the use of natural dyes has a strong tradition in many countries (e.g. India, Turkey, Mexico, Morocco)
NATURAL DYES
As suggested by theme name, natural dyeing firstly involves making dyes from naturally occurring ingredients.and then secondly using them to impart colour to yarn, fabric and other textiles.mother nature bounty such as leaves, roots,barks,berries,nuts fungi's and lichens are all good sources of natural dyes- as are minerals and even some insects such as cochineal.
history shows us that for thousand of years people have been making their own dyes to colour yarn, flees, clothing and household textiles.
The techniques used really have not changed that much!
EXTRACTION OF DYES
A variety of methods can be use to extract dye from raw materials.
Generally the best method is simply to cut up your raw materials into small pieces and boil them!
Place the pieces in a heat proof pot and cover with water. As a rule of thumb set one part raw material to two parts water.
Heat until it is near boiling point (but not actually boiling!) and simmer for approximately an hour.
You will notice the colour deepening throughout this process. Leaving the raw material to cool in the pot and soak overnight will give you an even deeper colour.
Once you are happy with the colour of your dye bath, strain the solid materials from the liquid and discard.
MORDANTS AND. FIXATIVES
To be successful at natural dyeing you need to know a bit about mordants and fixatives.
Basically natural dyes will not adhere to natural fibres without the use of a mordant or fixative.
Protein fibres like silk and wool absolutely need a plant extract and a mineral mordant.so if you are looking to dye some yarn to eventually produce a garment that will wash well.
Soaking the wool or yarn in water to which a mordant has been added will ensure your lovely natural dye fixes to what you are dyeing.
To do this fill your pot with cool Water to which your mordant has been added.stir well to ensure the mineral has dispersed through the water evenly and then place your dye material gently into the pot. slowly bring to the simmer for about 20-30 minutes, then turn the heat off and leave to cool.
As the water cool ,the mordant will adhere to the fibre or yarn in the pot. At this stage , you can dry your mordanted yarn and store it for Later use. Or you can transfer it to your dye bath where the natural dye you have chosen will now fix itself to the mordant in your yarn or fibre.
CAUTION; some mordants are poisonous! The use of copper, iron, tin and chrome mordants has decreased over recent years as dyers have become more environmentally aware and health conscious. Always wear gloves and follow the safety advices.
LIST OF MORDANTS
* ALUM: The specific compound is hydrated potassium aluminium sulphate. It is often used in canning and preserving. It is one of the most popular mordant used in natural dyeing. It is regard as the safest of the common mordants, so it is probably best one if you are just starting out.
* IRON: ferrous sulphate tends to darken the dye on your finer or yarn.use to create lovely browns. 1/2 oz( 15 grams ) iron per pound (500 grams) fibre. Old nails boiled in water will also create an effective and free Iron mordant. Iron will dull own colours so care must be taken if that is not the look you are searching for.
* COPPE: old pennies are made of copper and you can use these as your mordant. It produces lovely greens.
* TIN: because of the harshness of tin it is most often used in tiny amounts along with other mordant, or is added as an after bath to brighten colors. Tin is highly toxic.
* CHROME: use at a rate of 2-4% chrome to wool weight. The advantage is that it leaves the wool soft to the touch. It is not recommend, As it has been found to be proven carcinogen.
LIST OF FIXATIVES
Cottons and linens or other plant based textiles need a fixative to help set the dye, so that your wonderful creation does not loose colour quickly.
* SALT - use salt as fixative for cotton fabrics, thread or yarns. As a general rule use 1 part salt to 16 parts water. Place your dyeing medium into the salted water and simmer for about an hour to allow maximum absorption. Gently squeeze the salted water from your dyeing medium and then - whilst still wet - immerse the item into the dye bath.
* TANNINS - It occurs naturally in some plants, which eliminates the need for other fixatives.
* VINEGAR - 1part vinegar to 4 parts water. Use as per salt above.
* BAKING SODA - 1/2 cup baking soda to 1 gallon water. Simmer.
* CREAM OF TARTAR - it is often used with an alum mordant to produce a clearer colour in the final dyed product.
* WASHING SODA
ALWAYS REMEMBER
* never use the same pots and utensils for dyeing that you use for coking.
* wear rubber gloves and use a face mask when measuring mordants and dyes.
* work in well ventilated area.
* dispose of used mordants and dye baths safely.
Well there u have it. A simple and practical guide to the use of mordants and fixatives in your natural dyeing products.
ADVANTAGES
- Experimental evidence for allergic and toxic effects of some synthetic dyes is available.Natural dyes are mostly non-toxic, non-allergic. Some of the natural colours have added value for its medicinal effects on skin and are more than skin friendly.
- Natural dyestuff can produce a wide range of colours by mix and match system. A small variation in the dyeing technique or the use of different mordants with the same dye (polygenetic type natural dye) can shift colours to a wide range or create totally new colours, which are not easily obtainable with synthetic dyestuffs.
- Unlike non-renewable basic raw materials for synthetic dyes, the natural dyes are usually renewable, being agro-renewable/vegetable based and at the same time biodegradable.
- In some cases the waste in the process becomes an ideal fertiliser for use in agricultural fields.
- This is a labour intensive industry, thereby providing job opportunities for all those engaged in cultivation, extraction and application of these dyes on textile. Natural dyes generate sustainable employment and income for the weaker section of population in rural and sub-urban areas both for dyeing as well as for non-food crop farming to produce plants or the natural dyes.
- Application of natural dyes has potential to earn carbon credit by reducing consumption of fossil fuel (petroleum) based synthetic dyes.
- The shades produced by natural dyes are usually soft, lustrous and soothing to the human eye.
- Natural dyes are suitable for protecting and preserving the ancient and traditional dyeing technology and for studying the ancient dyeing methods, coloured museum textiles and other textiles recovered by archaeology for conservation and restoration of heritage of old textiles.
Dyes, particularly natural dyes, have held untold importance in our lives for thousands of years, providing not only aesthetic satisfaction but utilitarian uses as well. The oldest and most widely used dye is indigo, which has been used in India for last four thousand years. Natural dyes are dyes or colorants derived from plants, animals, or minerals. Furthermore, biological sources such as vegetables an fungi provide the majority of natural dye production.
Although natural dyes were popular for humans, it quickly fell out of favour due to the ease of use and variability of synthetic dyes. However, in this article, we will be discussing the importance of natural dyes and why they are making a comeback in today society.
