Fabrics, Dyes and Mordants

In December we looked at mordants, chemicals which help dyes bind to fabrics.  We prepared some natural dyes from turmeric, cochineal, onion skins, walnut shells and hulls, and beetroot. Our fabric samples were cotton, wool, linen, silk, and acetate. We discussed where these fabrics come from - plant, animal or synthetic. The mordants we compared were Alum (potassium aluminium sulphate), salt water, and a control of plain water. 

The mordant forms a bond with both the fabric and the dye - as Lachlan said, it acts like double-sided sticky tape. The buckets contain fabric samples which have soaked for several days in solutions of two different Mordants - alum (potassium aluminium sulphate) and salt (Sodium chloride). A control set of fabric samples soaked in tap water. We prepared some natural dyes from cochineal larvae, onion skins, beetroot, walnut husks and shells, and turmeric. Our fabrics were silk, cotton, linen, wool and acetate. We heated the fabrics in the dye, then rinsed them and compared the results in terms of depth of colour.

http://lavenderpondnotes.tumblr.com/post/107983388381

http://lavenderpondnotes.tumblr.com/post/107983281196/comparing-results

http://lavenderpondnotes.tumblr.com/post/107983260001

http://lavenderpondnotes.tumblr.com/post/107983174381/turmeric-syringing-off-the-top-layer-to-avoid

http://lavenderpondnotes.tumblr.com/post/107982255361/beetroot-in-water-and-the-nice-new-portable

http://lavenderpondnotes.tumblr.com/post/107982190086/cochineal-beetle-larvae-in-water-preparing-our

http://lavenderpondnotes.tumblr.com/post/107982139706/leo-and-lachlan-enthused-with-the-joy-of

http://lavenderpondnotes.tumblr.com/post/108240582486/sasha-and-thaddeus-found-that-cochineal-was-a-very

http://lavenderpondnotes.tumblr.com/post/108240575161/leo-and-lachlan-made-dye-from-beetroot-choose

http://lavenderpondnotes.tumblr.com/post/108240569281/max-and-reuben-used-beetroot-as-a-dye-alum

http://lavenderpondnotes.tumblr.com/post/108202152876/lydia-and-ioulia-used-turmeric-as-a-dye-chose

http://lavenderpondnotes.tumblr.com/post/108202514666

http://lavenderpondnotes.tumblr.com/post/108202488541/onion-skin-dye-cotton-fabric-and-varying

http://lavenderpondnotes.tumblr.com/post/108183248146/sasha-and-thaddeus-chose-a-difficult-fabric-to-dye

http://lavenderpondnotes.tumblr.com/post/107983493176/beatrix-and-isla-walnut-dye-cotton-alum

http://lavenderpondnotes.tumblr.com/post/108183215876/scientists-deep-in-thought

http://lavenderpondnotes.tumblr.com/post/108240621396/marianne-and-athena-did-their-own-experiment-later