164 
KERAMIC STUDIO 
Pewter crosier of Doi 
Ed. Corroyer). 
No. 10. 
1 Martin found in his tomb (Abbaye du Mont St. Michel, 
of pewter in the Church service has come down to us, 
and although artistic beauty in tin work has not been 
developed solely through the [making of sacred vessels, 
these have undoubtedly played an important part in 
the evolution of the art. 
(To be continued) 
RUG WEAVING AND DYEING 
(continued) 
Mabel Tuke Priestman 
dyeing. 
This is another department in successful rug mak- 
ing, but a most important one, and the fascination of the 
dye pot beguiles many women in country districts into 
evolving all sorts of beautiful color schemes, not obtain- 
able in any other way. Some rugs are poorly made, but 
their color qualities are so apparent that they are readily 
bought up at the various Arts and Crafts Exhibitions 
where they are found. 
The chief difficulty in vegetable dyeing is that those 
who do it, jealously guard their secrets, and will not give 
them away to others who want to become experts in this 
line. It is an advantage to use spring water, as this has 
some peculiar merit known only to experts. I am told 
that the fastness of some of the Scotch and English dyed 
materials depends largely upon the qualities of the water 
in certain parts of these two countries. I also know a 
country woman who has a spring in her garden and who is 
able to dye her material with the most permanent dyes, 
whereas the same process used with the water from the 
spigot cannot be depended upon in the same way. The 
truth of these statements I have not verified myself. 
The following dye receipts are used by many women 
in Canada and New England, and many of them are handed 
down from mother to daughter: 
indigo blue. 
Blue is the most universally used of all colors for 
dyeing materials for rug making, as all shades of blue 
from sky blue to a deep blue black can be dyed in the in- 
digo tub. This dye has the merit of being cheap as well as 
fast. It can be used with yellow or orange or with cop- 
peras or walnut dye. A good receipt for indigo dye con- 
sists of 
1 pound of finely powdered indigo 
2 1 to 3 pounds of green copperas (clean crystal) 
3 J to 4 pounds of newly slaked lime 
Rub or grind to a very fine powder the indigo with a 
little water or an alkaline lye. It must then be mixed 
with hot water after which the lime can be added when it 
must be well stirred. Now add the copperas, stirring 
slowly while it is being poured in. Continue to mix it 
when all the ingredients are added, and continue this at 
intervals for twenty-four hours. When ready to dye the 
material, ladle out what is needed into the dye vat. When 
it has been used several times it will need to be refreshed 
with a little more copperas and fresh slaked lime, always 
remembering to stir the sediments well from the bottom. 
The indigo dye powder is a manufactured article, 
prepared from the plant which produces it, and can be 
bought when the plant cannot be obtained for dyeing. 
A very great quantity of the plant is required, as 250 
pounds of plant will be required to produce a single pound 
of the prepared indigo. Some people believe that if they 
cannot themselves get the plant they are not getting the 
real indigo but this is a mistake. This dye is especially 
recommended for cotton. 
Another receipt which is preferable for wool but can 
also be used for cotton is made from 
12 pounds of fine indigo powder 
8 pounds of madder 
9 pounds of bran 
24 pounds of potash 
water at 125 Farenheit 
Mix indigo powder, madder, bran and water well. The 
potash is not added until later. At the end of 36 hours 
14 pounds of potash, and 12 hours later the remaining 10 
pounds are added. When fermentation and reduction of 
indigo are well developed, which will take about 72 hours, 
add the fresh slaked lime. When properly prepared a 
vat of this dye can be used for several months, adding, as 
needed, any of the constituents required. 
Another blue dye recommended is made from berries 
and logwood. 
red dye. 
The dyeing of red with madder is a very complicated 
process, and the receipts given for it are so involved 
that very few ameturs will trouble to go through all the 
Hand woven rugs shown ; 
No. 7. 
a recent Arts 
