Subject: Textile Arts and Crafts

Unit 3: Dyeing Techniques

Quadrant 1 E-Text
Learning Objectives
The learning objectives of this unit are:

3.1

Identify the materials and tools required for dyeing.

Describe the tie and dye technique.
Describe the Batik techniques.
Introduction

Dye is a natural or synthetic substance used to add a colour to, or change the colour of
something.
According to Websters dictionary, dyeing is the process of colouring fibers, yarns or fabrics,
by using a liquid containing colouring matter for imparting a particular hue to a substance.
Dyeing is achieved in a solution, containing dyestuffs, and the significant factors involved are
temperature, and time control.
There are mainly two classes of dye, natural and synthetic. During the process of dyeing, a
chemical bonding is formed between the dye molecules, and the fiber molecules.
The primary source of dyes, historically, has been from the nature, wherein the dyes have been
extracted from animals, plants and minerals.
Since the mid-18th century, humans have produced artificial dyes to achieve a wider range of
colours and make the dyes stable to washing and general use.
Dyes used by the textile industry are largely synthetic, typically derived from coal tar and
petroleum-based intermediates.
Textiles are dyed using a wide range of dyestuffs, techniques, and equipment.
Different classes of dyes are used for different types of fibers and at different stages of the textile
production process, from loose fibers to yarns, fabrics and completed garments.
Dyes are available as powders, granules, pastes, and liquid dispersions.

There are four main stages of dyeing.

The Fibre stage:
Both natural and manmade fibers can be dyed at this stage. It enables dyeing to be uniform.
However, there is wastage during further processing of fibres.
Yarn stage:
Yarns are dyed, especially when they have to be sold as such. Hence, in embroidery threads, sewing
threads, knitting yarns and yarn dyed fabrics, dyeing is done at the yarn stage.
Fabric stage:
Most of the fabrics that are dyed in a single solid colour are dyed at this stage. This method is fast, and it
is easy to match colours. Blended fabrics can also be dyed.
Garment Dyeing stage:
Sometimes, after stitching of the garment, there are requirements to dye it.

Fibre content determines the type of dye required for a fabric:

Examples of cellulose fibres are cotton, linen, hemp, ramie, bamboo and rayon.
Cellulose fibres require fibre-reactive, direct or substantive, as well as vat dyes, which are
colourless, soluble dyes fixed by light and / or oxygen.
Examples of protein fibres are wool, angora, mohair, cashmere, silk, soy, leather and suede.
Protein fibres require vat, acid, or indirect or mordant dyes that require a bonding agent.
Examples of synthetic fibers are nylon, acrylic, polyester and polypropylene.
Each synthetic fibre requires its own dyeing method, for example, nylon requires acid, disperse
and pigment dyes, while rayon acetate requires disperse dyes.
Resist dyeing is a widely used method of applying colours or patterns to fabric, which involves
dyeing only selected parts, of a piece of fabric.
A substance that is impervious to the dye, blocks its access to certain areas of the fabric, while
other parts, are free to take up the dye colour.
Resist can be applied through threads or similar materials, clamping, stitching, mud, wax or
starch.

Tie-dyeing and Batik are some of the simplest dye-resist techniques, that have been widely used
traditionally, in various parts of the world.
Both these techniques have been covered in this unit. Tie-dyeing involves pinching areas of cloth
and tying them tightly with thread before dyeing. Removal of the thread reveals small circular
marks in the original fabric colour. Complex patterns can then be built up, by repeating the
process using another dye colour.
The various tie-dye techniques that are practiced in the world are: bandhani, leheriya, mothara in
India, plangi, in Indonesia, tritik in Indonesia and West Africa and shibori in Japan.
In Japan, rice is used as the resis. This technique is called tsutsugaki.
In Java, wax is used and is called Batik. Originally, the hot wax was applied with a shaped strip
of bamboo, but in the 17th century the invention of the janting, - a copper crucible, with spouts
of different sizes, meant that the wax could more easily be applied, in continuous lines of varying
thicknesses, thus improving the fineness of the patterns, that could be attempted.
The earliest batiks were monochrome patterns against an indigo background, but multicoloured
ones were produced from the 18th century onwards, using methods learnt from expert Muslim
dyers in India.
Typical patterns represented ancient symbolic designs in complex, symmetrical, intertwining
layouts, and reflected the social class of the owner through their level of intricacy.
Some of the ceremonial garments produced and decorated in this way are amongst the most
superb examples of textile ornamentation known.
In India, beeswax resist was used for part of the fabric colouring process, in the production of
chintz. Charcoal (or other fugitive colour material) was used to transfer the pattern onto the
cotton cloth; a porous bag of loose charcoal powder called a pounce, was dusted over a design
pricked out onto paper.
Then the hot wax was drawn on with a reed pen, following the charcoal guidelines. The textile
workers were largely low-caste Hindi family groups, each family skilled in a separate stage of
the complex chintz-making process, and working in their own small craft workshops.
In Batik, resist is obtained by applying wax on fabric, as per a pre-determined pattern and is
known by the same term. After dyeing and removal of the wax, the pattern is revealed in the
original fabric colour. This process can be repeated several times, to obtain various hue and
shades of colors.
Flowering trees appear to spring out from a dense background composed of a diamond grid with
a "lar" or garuda wing placed within each diamond. The kepala is composed of diamonds, and
triangular forms filled with floral patterns.

In this section, you will learn about the various materials and tools needed for different dyeing
techniques.
These are the materials required for tie-dye.
1. Bleached Cotton Fabrics such as mulmul / muslin, cambric or poplin.
2. Cotton or polyester thread for tying.
3. Plastic sheet for design tracing.
4. Fugitive colour for design transfer.
5. Pin / needle for marking holes in design sheet.
6. Direct dyes.
7. Water.
8. Thread or cord for tying.
9. Stitching Needle.
10.Steel / Wooden clamps for resist.
11. Sodium chloride common salt or Sodium sulphate.
12. Small jugs or containers to make dye paste.
13. Glass or plastic measuring cylinders.
14. Measuring spoons.
15. Weighing scale.
16. Steel tumblers.
17. Steel / wooden / glass rod for stirring.
18. Burner.
19. Rubber gloves.
20. Scissors.
21. Steam Iron.
22. Face mask.
These are the materials required for batik printing.
1.Bleached and scoured cotton cloth.
2.Natural wax.
3.Paraffin wax.
4.Frame to stretch the fabric.
5.Masking tape or dressmakers pins.
6.Brush or block to apply was.
These are the materials required for dyeing and removing wax.

1. Napthol dyes.
2. Diazo salts.
3. Turkey red oil.
4. Caustic soda (sodium hydroxide).
5. Tubs and buckets.
6. Water.
7. Weighing scale.
8. Small jugs or containers to make dye paste.
9. Plastic cups.
10. Glass or plastic measuring cylinders.
13. Measuring spoons (to measure 1-5 gms).
14. Glass, stainless steel or fiberglass rods to stir dyes.
15. Rubber gloves.
16. Soap.
17. Face mask.
18. Detergent.
19. Electric iron.
3.2 Tie-Dye
Follow these steps to tie-dye.
Transfer the design to stiff plastic and pierce the pattern with a thick needle. The holes should
not be too close.
Put the plastic over the prepared cloth and lightly mark through the holes with a soluble marker.
To make the resist:

Pinch up little pieces of cloth and bind it tightly with heavy (preferably waxed) thread.

Create different patterns by changing the space of the tying.

The thread has to be wound, and tied tightly to prevent dye penetration.

The thread can be carried over to the next knot, rather than needing to be cut after each
binding.

If the thread is tied around only the cloth, a tiny spot of colour remains in the centre of the
resulting circle.

If a small object, such as a pebble or a bean, is tied up in the cloth, the centre is much bigger.
Do not tie all the dots in one go leave some of the tying and dyeing with subsequent colours.
This is an example of single tying.

This is an example of double tying at separate intervals.

This is an example of multiple tying at separate intervals.
Alternatively, the cloth can be folded and tied, a tie-dying method used in India for turban cloths.
Fine cloth such as muslin, can be folded in a concentric manner, and tied tightly at intervals. It is
dipped quickly in dye of a pale colour.
Some areas are then unrolled, and the process is repeated with progressively darker dyes, to build
up a range of colours in stripes.
The images here show resist stitches in place and drawing together on the thread.
This technique can be used for many effects. Fold the fabric in half and draw shapes as desired,
with a pencil or chalk and stitch around the shapes in running stitch. Then pull the threads up as
tight as possible, before fastening off.
Tie a stone or large beans into the fabric for circles. Alternatively, for larger or smaller effects try
coins, chickpeas, rice or even shells. Use thread to secure the tied fabric in place.
Refer to the images on how this can be done.
Mark random points on the fabric with your pencil or chalk. Pick up these marked points and tie
a knot in the fabric at that point.
You can refer to the images on how this can be done.
Crumple the fabric in your hand and bind it into a tight hard ball. For each colour, crumple the
fabric in different places for a random effect. For a large garment, bunch along the length,
section by section, for a long firm roll.
Crumple the fabric in the hand and bind into a tight hard ball. For each color, crumple the fabric

in different places for a random effect. For a large garment, bunch along length section by
section for a long firm roll.
Displayed here is an example of resist pattern by folding.
Knotting can be done by tying a length of fabric with equally spaced knots along it.
Twist the fabric lightly so that it coils back on itself. Bind it at the ends and at intervals along the
coiled fabric.
Dye the cloth by first using the palest colour. Dye can be mixed in the same way as for applied
resist dyeing. The fabric should not be left too long in the dye, to prevent colour penetrating the
thread. Rinse and dry the fabric, and then tie more knots to reserve areas for the second colour.
Knots already tied should not be untied.
Dye the fabric again, with the next palest colour. The process of tying and dyeing can be
repeated often, providing dye colours go from light to dark. Rinse and dry after each dyeing.
After the last dye, untie all the twists of threads, wash the fabric in detergent and press firmly.

This is tie dyed fabric in multiple colours.

This is another picture of tie-dyed fabric in multiple colours.
For the dyeing process, the Minimum Material to Liquor Ratio is 1:30.
Liquor refers to the total volume of solution of dyestuff dissolved in water.
To prepare the stock solution:

Accurately weigh 2 grams of dyestuff.

Paste it thoroughly using water.
Add small amounts of hot water to the paste and dissolve it completely.
If necessary, the solution can be heated until it becomes clear.
Dilute the solution to 100 ml with cold water.
This solution is called 2% stock solution.
From this solution, pipette out the calculated amount of dye solution.

The calculations for the amount of stock solution and the amount of water that is required are
displayed here.

Weight of fabric (gram) x shade %

Amount of stock solution required (ml) = ___________________________
% shade of stock solution
Amount of water required = Weight of fabric x ML ratio amount of stock
solution required
To dye a fabric:

Take de-sized scoured, and bleached, cotton yarn or fabric, of 20cm x 20cm size.
Tie the fabric by any one of the methods covered in the course (Folding, Pleating,
Spiraling, Twisting, Coiling, Marbling, Simple Tying or Tritik).
Immerse it in a water bath for 10 minutes.
Prepare the stock solution separately.
Take the calculated amount of stock solution.
Add it into the water bath.
Maintain the material to liquor ratio at 1:30.
Slowly raise the temperature of the water bath up to 90 centigrade.
Stir the dye liquor continuously for 20 minutes.
Add the calculated amount of sodium chloride to the dye bath.
Increase the temperature up to boiling point.
Continue dyeing for another 20 minutes.

Add another calculated amount of sodium chloride solution to the dye bath.
At the end of the dyeing process take the fabric out of the dye bath, squeeze, and rinse it
in running water.
Repeat the entire procedure to add the next colour.
For targeting various effects, one may explore the time of exposure and position of the
dipping in the dye bath.
Soak the fabric or yarn in the presence of 3 gram / liters soap solution and 2 gram / liters
soda ash.
Rinse the fabric in cold water and open the fabrics to see the effects of the dyeing and
keep it for drying.
After drying of the fabric, iron the fabric and mount it with a description of the tying
techniques.
3.3 Batik
The cloth needs to be washed to remove any starch or finishes. Next, the fabric may be cut to the
required dimensions, keeping in mind the small allowance of 5-7 cm, for pinning the fabric to the
frame.

The material should be stretched as taut as possible to ensure the accurate application of wax. If a
frame is not being used, then the fabric must be made smooth and flat, and should be laid on a
sheet of greaseproof paper.
There are a number of ways to transfer the design onto the fabric. The chosen design may be
traced with a soft pencil or dissolvable marker on the material with the help of a tracing sheet. If
the material is sheer or transparent, the design may be traced directly, by placing the material
over the design on a light colored surface.
The design appears clearly through the fabric and can be traced with a soft pencil.
To apply the wax:
Newspapers must cover the work surface before starting the wax application.
Paraffin wax and Bee wax may be mixed in a ratio of 60:40, to achieve a good quality of resist in
the fabric.
This mixture needs to be heated in a utensil. The wax should be heated slowly, till it gains a
flowing consistency like that of water.
To test whether the wax is ready to be applied, a small drop of the molten wax may be dripped
on the edge of the fabric.
If it looks transparent, it means that the wax is ready. On the other hand, if the wax looks opaque
on the fabric, then it needs more heating.
The heating of the wax should be continued at a lower temperature, to avoid solidification. The
wax may be applied by a nylon bristled brush, starting with the areas that need to be kept white.
After the first dying, the wax may be applied further to the areas that need to retain the first dye
colour.
Wooden and metal blocks may also be used to apply wax. In Indonesia, a special tool called
canting, is used to apply wax on the fabric to create intricate batik patterns.
The back of the cloth has to be checked from time to time, to ensure that the wax has penetrated
the cloth, and wherever required, the cloth may be re-waxed from the backside too.
It is quite difficult to remove the wax once applied. Therefore, one needs to be careful in the
application of the wax.
To remove any unwanted area, the wax has to be scraped gently with a knife, from both sides of
the fabric, followed by rubbing a metal spoon, that has been immersed in boiling water. The
treatment may be repeated till, all the wax is removed.

The fabric resisted through wax in batik is dyed in Naphthol or Azoic dyes, which are called cold
dyes, since they neither involve heating of the dye bath, for the process of dyeing, nor do they
require, any heat or steam fixing.
Naphthol dyes, require immersion in two different sets of baths, which should not be mixed
together.
The first bath is the naphthol bath, to saturate the fiber. To this bath, an alkali is added, usually
caustic soda, to make the dye soluble. The second bath, contains the colour salts called the diazo
salts, that instantly develop the colour on the fabric on reaction with naphthol.
Naphthol dyes have coded letters as suffix to their names. The colour achieved in dyeing
depends on the combination of the particular naphthol with a particular salt.
Thus, one naphthol base can be used with different salts, to yield different colous and vice-versa.
The displayed table, lists some common colours achievable, through the combination of naphthol
and salts.

Naphthol Base

Salt

Colour

Naphthol AS

Diazo salt Red B

Light crimson

Naphthol AS BO

Diazo salt Red B

Maroon

Naphthol AS LB

Diazo salt Red B

Red Brown

Naphthol AS G

All Salts

Shades of Yellow

Naphthol LB

All Salts

Brown

Naphthol SR

All Salts

Range of grey to black

This table gives the standard recipe for the dye bath is given for 1 liter of water.

For very pale shades, 0.5 gm naphthol/1 gm diazo salt.

For light shades, 1 gm naphthol/2 gm diazo salt.

For medium shades, 2 gm naphthol/4 gm diazo salt

For dark shades, 3 gm naphthol/6 gm diazo salt
To make the alkali solution, measure 441 gms of sodium hydroxide (caustic soda), and add to
this to 1 litre of cold water. Stir, till it dissolves.
This solution can be stored and used repeatedly. The solution should be labeled carefully, and
direct skin contact should be avoided.
To make the naphthol bath:

Take two grams of naphthol (for a medium shade), in a plastic or glass jug.
Mix a paste of the naphthol by adding a little TRO (Turkey red oil).
Add 250 ml boiling water to dissolve the powder.
Immediately, add 5ml of alkali (sodium hydroxide) solution, one drop at a time, until the
naphthol is clear and yellow.
If the naphthol does not clear, the solution should be reheated and stirred.
Dilute the solution to 100 ml.
Cool the naphthol for 5 minutes, and then add sufficient cold water to make upto 1 litre.
This bath should be kept away from direct sunlight.

To mix the diazo salt bath:

For a medium dye shade, measure 4 gms of azo salt powder.

Mix it into a paste with a little cold water.
Add enough cold water to make it up to 1 liter.

For dyeing, one needs to ensure that the dye-bath is wide enough, to submerge and move, the
waxed cloth. The waxed cloth may be gently immersed in the dye Bath, keeping it as flat as
possible to avoid the development of cracks at this stage.
If the fine lines are deliberately required, then the fabric should be gently crumpled, to get the
effect. This creates small cracks, through which a little amount of dye colour, penetrates the
design and yields fine cracks in it.
To dye:

Take the de-sized, scoured and bleached cotton fabric, on which wax is applied.
Put the rubber gloves and immerse the fabric in the naphthol solution.
Run the fabric gently in the solution for 5 minutes.
Lift the cloth, and allow the drips to fall back into the bath.
Hang the fabric for 10 minutes, away from direct sunlight.
Any naphthal that drips into the diazo salt bath, exhausts it.

Place the sample for developing the colour, in the salt bath.
Agitate a little, and keep in the bath for 5 minutes.
Run it through the base solution for 20 minutes.
Take the material out and hang for a while.
Do not squeezed the fabric, and rinse the fabric in cold water.
The dye shade looks darker in the wet fabric.
To get a better idea, the same should be held against the light, to view the actual shade.

The naphthol dye colours can also be developed on a localized area, using the following method.
Dip the wax-resist fabric, into the naphthol and alkali bath, and then allow it to dry completely in
air, avoiding direct sunlight.
Mix a concentrated diazo salt solution (2 gm salt to 125 ml of water), and use it to paint sponge,
or spray onto the fabric.
Dry it completely by hanging on the shade.
The fabric may now be washed, using the method described to remove the wax.
Repeat the dye process, in the appropriate naphthol and diazo salt baths, to develop the next
colour, before protecting the previous shade with application of wax.
Further waxing may be done, after the cloth dries. Some waxed areas may also need re-waxing,
if they are put through several dying cycles.
These diagrams illustrate the dyeing sequence of colours, (from light to dark), and the waxing of
the areas for a fish motif.
Dyeing the cloth in the first colour, (yellow), after the application of wax on the areas that have
to be kept white.
Dyeing of the cloth in the second colour, (red colour), after the application of wax on the areas
that have to be kept yellow.
Dyeing of the cloth in a third colour, (indigo blue), after the application of wax on the areas that
have to be kept red.
This is the final look of the design on the fabric after removal of wax. The first dyeing gave
yellow, second gave the red and the last dyeing gave the reddish purple, due to over dyeing of
the red areas
with blue.

The two main processes to remove the wax from the fabric are boiling and ironing.
In boiling:

The wax flakes may be removed as far as possible from the fabric.
Next, the fabric may be completely immersed in a large pan, fully filled with hot water,
which should then be made to boil for 2-3 minutes.
The fabric should then be transferred to a bucket of cold water.
This solidifies a lot of wax, which may be later removed by a strainer.
The boiling process should be repeated again, but with only one minute of boiling.
The process may be repeated for heavily waxed fabrics.
Finally, the fabric should be boiled in water, containing detergent followed by rinsing, to
remove all the last traces of wax.

In ironing:

The flaking off should be done as described before.

Next, the fabric should be placed between layers of absorbent paper, and on several
sheets of newspapers.
The fabric should be ironed properly, constantly changing the paper, as it gets saturated
with wax.
Any dye left on the surface of the fabric, must be wiped off before ironing.
This may continue, till all wax is removed.
A final boil in hot water with detergent, or treatment by a liquid solvent, may be
necessary, if wax marks remain.
All the wax collected as flakes and sieved from the boiling, may be recycled, and used in
future batik applications.
The collected wax, may be boiled in water, to remove any dye colour or impurity and
cooled off, to get an upper layer of solidified wax.

3.4 Conclusion
To summarize, in this unit you have learned about the tie dye and batik methods of dyeing.