4.1 Dying textile fabrics

TECHNOLOGY

Grade 5

PROCESSING MATERIALS

Module 13

DYEING TEXTILE FABRICS

Background

Colour makes the clothes that we wear much more interesting. Which colours do you like wearing? Why?

Right across the world colour plays a significant role in the clothing worn for particular occasions. What colour plays an important role at funerals of white people?

What is the reason for this?

What is the traditional colour of the wedding dress of a bride among white people?

It is interesting to note that the mourners at Chinese funerals wear white clothes and that the guests at a wedding in Lapland wear red clothes.

Assignment 1

Research

Are there specific colours that play an important role in the cultural group to which you belong? Explain this (in three sentences).

[LO 3.1]

Textile fabrics are coloured with dye. In the past, natural dyes obtained from plants and animals were used. Purple dye, for instance, was obtained from a small sea snail. Natural dyes produce soft colours, but it is difficult to obtain the exact shade of a colour time after time. Nowadays, dyes are made from chemical substances that provide bright, predictable colours that are also colour fast.

Assignment 2

Design and Manufacturing

We will be using dyes for colouring fabric. Put on an apron to protect your clothes and wear rubber gloves. You can obtain a natural dye from turmeric, spinach leaves, rooibos tea, beetroot leaves and many other edible plants that you may get hold of easily in your environment, by boiling it in water for approximately ten minutes. Allow the mixture to cool and remove all plant material from the liquid. Strain the remaining liquid. This provides a natural dye that is dissolved in water.

[LO 1.3]

REMEMBER:

For this project you must remember that boiling water is dangerous, because you may get burnt. Keep a first aid kit at hand and do the assignment under the educator’s supervision.

Assignment 3

This is a tie-and-dye project. You will make a fashionable T-shirt or headscarf, but you should not attempt this exercise without adult supervision.

Requirements: Dye; white cotton fabric (a hemmed 50cm square cloth) or a white cotton T-shirt; string for tying the cloth or shirt; rubber gloves; 2 basins for water; a large pot and a plastic bowl; a wooden spoon or a long stick; a heat source (electric or gas stove).

a ) You may have to consult a book on tie-and-dye craft if you have not done this before. Fold and tie the cloth according to the pattern you want to create. Experiment or use ideas from the book you have consulted. You will find that areas that are tied securely will remain white when you dye the fabric, so be sure to wrap the string tightly and to tie it securely.

b) Remember that you need to protect your clothes (apron) and hands (gloves). Also remember the safety precautions when you work with boiling water.

c) Bring the dye solution (the natural dye that you have made) to a boil. Wet the fabric in a bowl of clean, cold water and wring out all excess water.

d) Place the damp fabric into the boiling dye solution and stir it, using the stick or long-handled wooden spoon, until it comes to a boil again.