ing morning remove the cotton from the mordant solution, squeeze out 

 excess moisture, roll the m.aterial in a dry towel and store it in a cool place. 

 Rinse the mordanted cotton well before immersing it in the dyebath. 



Alum-Tannin- Alum Mordant (process takes two days) 



For one pound of dry cotton, use 



8 ounces potash alum (aluminum potassium sulfate) 

 2 ounces sodium carbonate 



10 ounces powdered oak galls, or one ounce tannic acid, or extract from 4 to 6 

 ounces dry sumach leaves 



Dissolve half of the alum (4 oz.) and half of the washing soda (1 oz.) 

 in 4 to 4)^ gallons of cold soft water. Immerse the cotton, after first wetting 

 it thoroughly and squeezing out excess moisture. Stir while gradually heat- 

 ing to boiling, then boil for one hour. Allow the material to remain in the 

 bath overnight.* The following morning squeeze excess moisture from the 

 material, rinse and put it into a bath of oak galls, tannic acid, or sumach 

 leaves heated to 140° to 160° F. Work the yarn in this bath for one hour 

 and allow it to stay in the bath overnight. The following day rinse it briefly. 

 Then dissolve the remainder of the alum and washing soda in 4 to 4}^ 

 gallons of water and repeat the mordanting process to* above. The follow- 

 ing morning squeeze excess moisture out of the cotton and rinse thoroughly 

 just before dyeing. 



To prepare the extract of sumach leaves, soak the dry leaves in water for 

 half an hour, boil them for 30 minutes, strain the liquid, and allow the 

 bath to cool to 140° to 160° F. 



DYE RECIPES 



General Instructions 



Dye recipes are arranged alphabetically by the name of the flower, bark, 

 or other dye material. The heading "barks" includes directions for the 

 four basic methods of dyeing with tree barks and is followed by an alpha- 

 betical listing of many tree barks that were tested; special information 

 about dyeing with these barks is found in this listing. 



Read complete instructions for mordanting and dyeing before undertaking 

 any project. It is also helpful to assemble all chemicals, dye materials, 

 and equipment before starting the dyeing process. 



All dyebaths require a plentiful supply of soft water — at least 4 to 4)^ 

 gallons for each pound of yarn or cloth dyed. Crowding textiles or using 

 water that contains certain mineral deposits may result in streaked or 

 spotted colors. 



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