natural dyes; print workshop notes.

 madder (wool) - weld (wool & cotton) - woad (wool & cotton)

today we had a print seminar on natural dyes. the sustainable way to dye your fabric as it is not harmful to the environment and doesn't use up resources.

http://www.pioneerthinking.com/naturaldyes.html

Instructions for dyeing with woad/indigo pigment;   

5 l water in a stainless steel saucepan/bowl (the dyebath)
add 15g washing soda and stir

add 10g indigo/woad pigment to a little warm water and stir into smooth paste and add to dyebath

add 5g hydrosulphite (hydros) or colour run remover sprinkled gently over the dyebath
stir gently and LEAVE!!

heat gently to max 50°C for 30 – 45 minutes

when liquid has become a yellowy green colour with a bluey purply film on the surface, the dyebath is ready!!

Slowly dip yarns/cloth into dyestuff – be careful not to let air bubbles form

Leave submersed in the dye for about 10-15 minutes
Remove carefully and leave to oxidise for the same amount of time.
Second and subsequent dips – leave for a shorter time
Eg. Dip for 10 oxidise for 10 minutes etc…
Build up colour this way.
Rinse under rapidly running cool water
Add a teaspoon of vinegar to the final rinse

Air dry and always wash separately

MORDANTING

Basic mordant recipe for all fibres

Use 10% alum to weight of fibres (dry)
For example:

100g of fabric to dye
use 10g of alum (2 teaspoons)

Dissolve alum in approx 100ml boiling water, stirring well until completely dissolved
Add to cool water in a pot and stir well
Add wetted fibres ensuring they are well covered (add more water if necessary)
Put on the lid and bring slowly up to simmer (88ºC)
Keep at this temperature for 1 hour, stirring gently occasionally
Leave the fibres to cool in the solution, overnight if possible
Remove and rinse well before adding to dyebath

Note: at this stage you could dry the fibres and keep for dyeing later
You can also store the solution for re-use again later (large fabric conditioner bottles or catering buckets with lids are ideal for this!)

Most of the natural dyes we have in the Dye Kitchen can be used in the following way:

1.    Weigh the fibres to be dyed
2.    Work out how much dyestuff you need ( 50-100%) of dry fibre weight
3.    Weigh out the dyestuff carefully and rinse in a colander
4.    Add to a pan of water and bring up to simmer (88º) for 45 minutes.
5.    Strain the liquid into a container and allow to cool
6.    You can repeat this step with the dyestuff several times as long as you can get colour out of it…
7.    Place cooled dyestuff into a saucepan and heat
8.    add wetted, pre-mordanted fibres and enough water to cover
9.    heat slowly to simmering point , simmer 30-45 minutes, stirring from time to time
10.    turn off heat and allow fibres to cool in the dyebath if possible
11.    remove and rinse well until water runs clear
12.    wash in warm water with eco-friendly soap
13.    rinse and air dry

Quick dye method:

Put the dyestuff in a muslin bundle or popsock (natural colour)
Rinse under cold water and put into the dyebath
Add water to dyebath, enough to cover fibres
Add pre-mordanted, wetted fibres
Bring up to simmer for 45 minutes, stir occasionally
Rinse
Wash
Dry...