The kind of cloth used can affect the way a natural dye turns out. A previous article, Natural Cloth Dyes: A Guide to Dyeing Your Own Clothes noted that wool generally takes to natural dyes very easily. For this reason, when using natural dyes, people usually use wool.
Take Up of Dyes
Wool
Wool can be dyed easily because it is able to attach itself to a wide variety of dye chemicals. Apart from that, it is a good material to dye as it is relatively inexpensive, widely available, easy to handle, and diverse in its uses.
Unlike synthetic dyes, natural dyes are easily degraded by exposure to sunlight and repeated washings. Since wool is usually washed in cold water or dry-cleaned, the colour of the dye lasts longer. Also, because wool takes to natural dyes easily, exposure to sunlight will not degrade the colour as fast as in other materials.
Wool can give darker shades of colours when used with a fixative.
Silk
Silk is good for dyeing as it, like wool, contains protein fibres. However, it is a relatively delicate material that has to be handled with care. Silk degrades under high heat, so the silk cloth cannot be left in hot dye for long periods of time. Using a fixative when dyeing silk brings out the colour more.
Cotton
Cotton works fairly well with natural dyes, but the outcome depends on the dye being used. Unlike wool and silk, it is made up of cellulose fibres, which do not take up natural dyes as easily.
Strong natural dyes are good for dyeing cotton. One such dye is that made from madder (a red colour). For the cloth to be dyed properly, a fixative must be used, otherwise the colour may not show strongly and it may not last long. Weaker dyes like tea may not yield as good results.
Synthetic Fibres
These generally do not take well to natural dyes, although acrylics may take to the natural dye if it is strong enough. In some cases, these may produce colours that are stronger than the colours produced in wool.
Uniformity of Dyes
Natural dyes are hard to control, unlike synthetic dyes. As such, the dyed cloth may not be coloured uniformly. Generally, wool produces the most uniform colour, although even then it may not be perfect.
Nevertheless, the lack of uniformity produced by natural dyes may be a good reason to dye clothes using this method. After all, part of the reason for even experimenting with natural dyes is the fact that it is always just that – an experiment.
Sources
- Burch, P.E. (2009). All about natural dyes. Retrieved on 1 June 2011.
- Hamilton, A. (2010, January 26). How to dye cloths using natural methods. Retrieved on 12 May 2011.
- Oetoro, B. (2001). Natural dyes. Retrieved on 1 June 2011.
