TECHNIQUES
Home Jacquard silk dye on feathers & veiling
The feathers and the veil are dyed in the same bath. The biot feathers dyed darker than the goose nagoire feathers, which took the colour similar to the nylon veil.
but can lose some of its sheen and become less soft. Sodium hydrosulfite has a long shelf life but moisture will weaken it. Store it well-wrapped, especially in humid environments.
Environmental
consideration Dispose of dyes and discharge agents through sink or toilet: do not pour it on the ground. The pH needs to be neutralised if it will flush into a septic tank or not be treated in a facility.
Safety and cautions Do not be misled by the term ‘natural dyes’. For some, the word ‘natural’ implies that it is safer and better for you, but that is not necessarily true. • To make natural dyes most effective, mordants (metallic salts) are used to make the dye stick and the mordants used can be toxic.
• Lye (also known as sodium hydroxide, and a ‘natural’ bleaching agent) is not suitable for the home dyer as it reacts with water and can be extremely caustic.
• Take care when mixing chemicals as some combinations can be very dangerous – if chlorine bleach is mixed with an acid, chlorine gas can be produced.
• The biggest danger with powdered dye is that the small particles can get into your lungs and be an irritant. It is best to wear a dust mask when measuring out the powder.
Personal protective equipment (PPE) is recommended when working with chemicals. Gloves and goggles should be worn when working with liquids, a mask when working with powders, and a ventilated area, vent hood, or respirator should be used when working with fumes (like chlorine bleach).
Hand dyeing of straw at Coustillères hat factory in Septfonds
Photo: Alamy Conclusion and resources
This by no means is a comprehensive article on how to dye or bleach the variety of hat making materials, but knowing what your fibre is will set you in the right direction. Elizabeth said there are many good books, but in particular she highly recommended the following two. Hand Dyeing Yarn and Fleece by Gail Callahan, for protein fibres and acid dyes – “I taught myself to dye and in the process wrote a book on dyeing that explains the process without those scary terms that kept me away in the first place,” she shares. For cellulose fibres and silk fabric, Elizabeth recommends both the book and DVD of Exploring Fiber Reactive Dyes by Claire Benn.
Three other great resources (use Google to find these online): • Jacquard’s Procion MX Color Mixing Chart, which is a great way to get a jump-start of how to create different colours
• Dharma’s chart for their acid dyes, covering a range of details like solubility in hot water, wash fastness, and dischargeability using discharge paste
• Paula Burch’s website ‘All About Hand Dyeing’ has everything, in clear writing by a scientist with an interest in dyes (
www.pburch.net/
dyeing.shtml)
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