WHEN DYEING CLOTHES

Wairarapa Times-Age, 23 November 1939, Page 8

WHEN DYEING CLOTHES

SIMPLE THINGS TO REMEMBER. When dyeing clothes, always follow the directions carefully. Test the dye on a piece of material the same as the dress or coat, of whatever it is you are dyeing, before putting in the garment. Remove buttons, beads and embroidery beforehand. Lace-trimmed garments may be troublesome to dye, so test a piece first, if possible.

The proportion, of dye to water and of dye to material is very important. With some dyes a packet is sufficient to dye fabric weighing 11b.; where this is the case it is quite easy to have Ihe material weighed and the dye made in accordance.

In every case, it is important to experiment first, noting: The proportion of dye to water required to produce the right tint; the amount of dye-wa-ter sufficient for a given weight of material. Some dyes are put up as blocks and enclosed in muslin bags. Boilingwater is poured over these and strained until the correct shade is obtained. Then the garment is dipped carefully in the dye and stirred until it is uniformly coloured.

Powder dyes can be had in a wide range of colours, and other shades can be secured by judicious mixing. Thus blue may be softened by mauve, and yellow and pink will produce flesh colour. Any other may be dyed black; and white and most pale colours may be’ dyed any colour. It is well to remember, however, that dark shades are best re-dipped the same colour. One cannot dye a dark navy a bright blue, for instance. A yellow fabric, if treated with a blue dye will not become blue, but green. Similarly, red material dyed with blue becomes purple. and brown dyed with red becomes maroon colour.