Natural Plant Dyeing

powdered indigo in snloking sulfurir rate batches hadto be’ dyed-in-the-wool,
acid. A professional chemist procured the moue of &rlll being exactly alike. Another
* Ed m:lde the basic dye solution at a problem arose because the fleece selected
~~;;~;,,,$~;;~~~ had come from sheep grazed on an island ;
o$ the Maine coast, which is well known \‘.’
Foot-power Lo’ona Weclving, available
‘from Pcnland School of Crafts, Penlnnd,
for its salt spray and fog. The indigo
refused to penetrate all fibers equally and
left a few patches of white. After carding
the b fleece, the color was slightly micea.
Hut it was still an attractive unmistakable
tablespoonful) of pow indigo.
The belated acquisition of a ]nrge cop-’
per clothes boiler made it possible to
glasb rod. Close the jar tightly and allow piece-dye th?rest of the &awls after they
to stand 24 hours or until needed.
had been&woven. 1Y ~ :
When usir;g Olium, pour a ‘very “snlnll Two sh:~mls were dyed &t~ cochineal
quantity-about 15 drops for a medium an’ important natural dye for hundreds,oi
bright blue-i&o a glass measuring cup l’c:lrs and still in commrrcinl use in the s--e-.
of cold water &fork adding to the dye- 20th’ ,:cntury. TBm.gh not, a plant, .
bath. (Srver ;tdd water tu thcl Odium :JS it cvwfiiiicvl is dc+ivccl frnnl iwwts cleperidmay
effervesce dyngrrously.) Slowly add rut upnit slxa(‘ics Of C!il(Bf, pnrt,LilnYJdy
Ollrrsltic~ (‘3r’c’irlelli!‘c~11, ‘khicll is cultivated
and immerse the wo~ol at bnce. If the in Xesico and Peru for this +purpose.
water is hot the JWOI will he streaked and (See page 5’i.) A rich rose was ob,tai.ned
clouded. Stir quickly and keep it in mo- with a mordant of tin and oxalic acid.
tion until t%e ‘boiling ‘.point. The amount 011~ interesting result of using warp and ,
of Olium determines the shade. After weft y:kns fiioiu two differ& nni-mals
many . espclriments with indiFn, urine is was two dissimilar, but harmonizing
still the simplest solvent to use, and to - shades,’ proving that no two fleeces wifi
quote Norman Kennedy, the Scot who. dye the sa1n6 and should always h& Q$dproduced
splendid blues nt Colonial Wil- ed, for complete uniformity.
liamsburg, “It’s the cheapest.” ()briously, rs!lct dolor matches fr’om
The leaky clam-steamer had, to br rc’- different dye lots are never quite attaina- s
placed by a baby bath, also made of ble. Rut .with determination and a little
enamel. It held only -1-l/L gallons, which
11 leant that for’ three shawls three sepa-
A I’ _.
ingenuity 3 .is possi’ble to come satisfgn
inily c&lose. + rn’ ‘8
9’
0 the niisture to a d\d)iltll of tel)id water
The Rowan-Tree
THE European mountain-ash (Sorbus aucuparia), known, in many parts of the
world as rowan-free, is one of the nafiie tree; of Sweden. Anlerican gardeners
grow’ it primarily for its-cons$&aus orange-to-red fruits, which ripe; in autumn
&nd ace often eaten by b!;ds. Asfrid.Swenson* repoits that Fhe iruifs. can be
used as a dyesfufi; With alumoand c&m of tartar as a mordant, and cpoled
in potash wafer, a greert.ish-yellow dye “results. If chrome is u&d as a mordant :
and fherk is no iooling in potash wafer; the-color, will be lig,ht grayish-brown.
Chrome, ,with iron and alum added ‘to the dyebafh ‘for t.he‘ last 15’ minutes,
produces a dark grayiih b:own. Also, a decocfion of the ripe fruits is an
excellent base for getting a very bright red with both madder and cochinebl.
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