Natural Dyeing
The first day at college in the second year
It was the time when we first got access to the campus. Being the corona batch the campus access was some thing that I looked forward for. One of the first tasks was to collect fresh cow dung for scouring. It was exciting for us as it was the first time I got to meet my classmates and also to engage in such an activity.
After soaking the fabrics in the cow dung for sometime we sun dried it by putting it over the grass. This process helps in removing excess starch in the fabric and taking in the dyes.
Indigo Dye
Indigo is a dye that has rich history in India, for being a commercial crop. It is known for the demand that is evergreen and the special skills for extracting the dye. It is a vat dye, literally meaning dye in a bucket. So fabrics are dip dyed in Indigo.
The shimmering froth formed after adding the diluted ferrous sulfate is the perfect time to put the cotton fabric inside for the seamless dyeing of the fabric.
More Natural Dyes
This time the air in the lab was filled with natural fragrance, which reminded me of spas. The smell was very organic, mild and earthy. The others dyes that we prepared include Harda, Manjista, Anar & Turmeric, Marigold, Kattha & Ratanjyot.
After exploring with the combinations of the dyes and combinations of the mordants referred at the beginning. I had done few explorations with clamp dyeing.
It was surprise to see the patterns that was revealed every time I opened the clamp. Also I noticed that the ingredients that I worked with majorly gave out primary colours. And these are largely used in the Indian traditional dyeing crafts like Aajrakh and Kalamkari.
