Dyeing Fabric - The Georgetown Way

my latest dye job was a fiasco.

of course i had to drown my sorrows! so i promptly put on my comfiest clothes and walking shoes, emptied out the emergency cash box, grabbed a large shopping bag and made off o chennai's wholesale district, george town.

it was a great informative trip. i first went to a cotton thread supplier and picked up some undyed cotton thread on reels and hanks of cotton tape.

next to the dye stuff supplier. after a bit of runaround, i found the wholesaler,who pointed me to a retailer. (here i took a dokhla/basundi break at Aggrawal bhavan, a famous local snackery)

then the dye retailer. here i struck gold! seems that dyes have come a loong way in india. the shopkeeper was a quiet sort, but by the time we were through, he had given me a whole lot of tips :)

* there are 3 types of dyes available in the market - direct, acid and basic(or base). direct is for cotton, acid for silk and wool, and basic for any natural fibre.

* acid dyes are about 30-40% more expensive than direct across the board, but rates vary within the groups for individual colors

* colors can be mixed within groups, but not across

* the latest direct colors dont need any additives or fixers, except for 1/ tsp table salt per tsp of dye powder when we mix the dye stock. he was most definite that we dont need to use soda ash - i asked him several times.

* for each tsp acid dye, you must add 1/ tsp table salt and 1/ tsp acetic acid to dye stock. no fixer necessary here either

* basic dye needs no additives or fixers, and can give very bright colors, but these may fade sooner than the others.

* you will need to add twice the quantity of black dye to get a true black.

* some colors are bulkier than others - for eg. red is fluffier than blue, so if you are measuring rather than weighing, you would need to remember that

* all the dyes need to be used immediately - you cant mix and store dye stock

* the dye powder can be stored indefinitely as long as it says dry - tis means taking care to use a dry spoon to measure out the powder

* for immersion dyeing, you presoak fabric/yarn, lightly squeeze out. heat just enough water to cover yarn, add dye stock, yarn, simmer 20 mins for silk, 30 for cotton. stir so dye strikes evenly.
cool and rinse out.

ok, i think i got it all. It took him a good 1/2 hour to measure out and pack my purchases, which was when he loosened up and passed on all this info.

i wrapped up my purchases for the day with a bottle of acetic acid, and a bottle of "slurry", which is the concentrated detergent used in liquid soap.

i felt a little guilty at splurging out on my stash, but quickly reconciled to it by reminding myself how long it had been since i bought a silk sari or jewelry :) this is way more fun all around!