( Sclections ton ) First Steps In Natural Dyeing Joan Almon 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 5 8 a a = a 5 a a a a 8 8 a a a s 8 roe Se eeSTEPS TO ACTION OBTAINING FABRIC AND FIBER Some fabrics, such as cotton for play cloths or cotton knit for dolls, one can obtain ina good fabric store. One can also buy white silk in a store, but itis usually more expensive than if ordered from a mail-order firm. Our supply lists change so often that we decided to enélose a list with this book rather than printing a list in it. If you find new sources, or find that any of ours have moved or closed shop, please do let us know. AA frequent question is which siks should one buy for the kindergarten, ‘The answer is a bit complex for different silks serve different purposes. Raw silk is excellent for heavy curtains and also for heavy play cloths. Tis quite strong, but if it's being used for curtains that get a lot of sunlight it should be lined. Por marionettes, 1 have mostly used twill 10mm for the bodies. It has a nice weight and substance, but is still very soft and movable. I've made birthday capes from it, as well. The mm stands for *mommie” and is a way of designating the density of silk. Fora lighter weight silk for setting stages or making capes on the marionettes the pongee 5mm is very good. J have used this weight for curtains which let much light through (but they wear out from the sun after 3 or 4 years.) Similar to pongee is a silk called China silk, and many people have recommended it. An even lighter, more translucent weight is chiffon or gauze, often in 4mm. I use it for veils on marionettes, and find it very good as a second layer in setting marionette stages. A piece of chiffon over another silk allows the colors of the two silks to interplay with each other. It is also very nice hung over a baby's cradle, especially when a pink chiffon (cochineal works well) and blue chiffon (indigo) are hung over each other, The infant then experiences the sun filtering through as a purplish haze which gives a lovely mood. CUTTING (TEARING) THE SILK It's always a shock wien you first see someone tearing silk, but it's the best way to get a straight cut. Trying to cut it all the way across is frustrating, for the silk shifts easily and becomes quite crooked. ‘The best way is to make a snip (let's say one inch) and then tear across. On the other side you can finish with a cut if that seems's best. Only once, while in Dornach, did I splurge on silk used for tone eurythmy. It is a super fine chiffon silk that moves like the air and was magnificent as a veil on a princess. To cut it, one pulled a thread ‘out and then cut carefully along the line of the thread. LAUNDERING THE FABRIC BEFORE DYEING In the case of.cotton or silk fabric, it is necessary to wash the material first to remove any sizing which will interfere with the dye. All but the very finest silk can be laundered in a 12 METH TCE CAE TEE TEE C ECC CEE LECCE CEE CECASCRPSSOGSSEOVPDPPSOOBOSG a a ® ® ® a ® a a » a a washing machine on a gentle cycle with cold or warm water and a mild soap such as Ivory. ‘Small amounts can be done by hand. Cotton can be laundered in its usual way, but you may need to use some bleach as well as detergent to remove all the sizing. All fabric should be ‘well rinsed as a residue of soap or bleach can interfere with the dye process. When using the washing machine I generally run the fabric through a second time without any soap to be sure it is well rinsed. Raw wool should be washed gently by hand to remove the dirt and foreign matter, Soak the fleece in warm water with a mild soap or detergent. Some of the lanolin needs to be soaked out of the wool in order for the dye to penetrate, but if all the lanolin is removed, the wool will fee! lifeless. You may also wash the wool in clear water without soap if you prefer. You may gently move the wool through several pans of water to remove as much dirt as possible, or you may soak the wool for several hours and then run clear water through it to rinse it. Do not wring or handle the woo! too much or it will mat. ‘Wool yarn should be purchased in its natural, unbleached state so that the chemicals used in bleaching will not interfere with the dye. Yarn should be wound into skeins that are easy to handle, The ends of the skein are tied together. The skein is then tied loosely in several places with a strong thread worked around the yarn in a figure eight. This keeps the skeins from tangling, but the string should not be tied too tightly, for that will prevent the dye from reaching the yarn, Wash the skeins in lukewarm water with a mild soap or detergent. Rinse well, but do not wring or twist. MORDANTING THE FABRIC When mordanting with alum, the basic recipe for one pound of fabric, yarn or wool, is as follows: Alum -~ 3 ounces for wool 4 ounces for silk, cotton or linen Cream of tartar — 1 ounce Cold water -- 3 to 4 gallons Dissolve the alum and cream of tartar in a small amount of boiling water and add to the cold water, For smalier dye lots, reduce this recipe. ‘Too much alum can make yarn o fabric sticky. To mordant silk: Moisten the silk and immerse it into the alum pot and bring the water slowly up to 100° F or as hot as one’s hand can comfortably bear. Turn off the heat and allow the fabric to steep in the solution overnight. Lightweight silk has a tendency to float so that some of the fabric stays above the water. To correct this I place a large plate on top of the silk and add some weight, such as a pot with water, to hold it down. On the next day, remove the fabric and squeeze out excess moisture. Dry the fabric or dye it while moist. B