Name: Mary Lynne
Message: Is there any way to create a custom camouflage pattern with natural dyes (they give a better tone for my purposes), such that the pattern will neither wash out nor leak in the rain?  All of the natural dyes I am familiar with need to be soaked in hot water, and when i tried painting them on, they simply washed out.  I have also tried commercial dyes, which were supposed to be for cold-water dyeing, but the colourfastness wore off after several washes.  Are there perhaps any natural dyes suitable for cooler dyebaths, that might work with wax designs?  I am particularly looking for greens, greys, and browns.

Colorfast or natural? Pick one. Natural dyes in general will not survive a great many machine washings. Most natural dyes cannot simply be painted on, or soaked in hot water; you must mordant your fabric first by boiling it in the mordant, and then apply the dye by boiling the fabric extensively in the dye. This process takes more than one day. If you are dyeing cotton, a good recipe calls for boiling the cotton in alum on day one, in tannic acid on day two, in alum again on day three, and finally in the natural dye on day four. (See The Dyer's Companion, by Dagmar Klos.) You can't expect permanent results by simply painting natural dyes on, as in almost all cases extensive simmering of the dyestuff with the fabric is necessary, using two or three times as much dyestuff, by weight, as you do fabric. Wool is easier to dye with natural dyes than cotton is, but I gather from your message that you are probably interested in dyeing cotton. The only natural dye I can recommend that will work with cool water, such as is required for wax batik, is indigo, an excellent traditional natural dye which is beyond the abilities of most beginners to use.

Some commercial dyes are noted for being poorly washfast. For example, all-purpose dye (sold under such brand names as Rit, Tintex, and Deka) must be applied by simmering the fabric in the dye for half an hour, for best results, and yet even then the dye will be poorly washfast unless it is treated with a cationic dye fixative such as Retayne.

In contrast, reactive dyes are extremely washfast and should retain their color through dozens of washings, if they are used correctly. Dylon Cold Water Dye and Dylon Permanent Dye are will last through hundreds of washings if they are applied according to the correct recipe, to the right kind of fabric. If you used either of these brands but had them wear off after only several washes, then there was something wrong with the way that you used them. If we discuss what you did, we can probably figure out what you did wrong. The best dyes to use yourself at home would be Procion MX dyes. It is extremely easy to make permanent camouflage effects by using Procion MX dyes with a technique called low water immersion dyeing. See "How to Do Low Water Immersion Dyeing".

Some people claim that natural dyes give better colors than synthetic dyes do, but in fact this is just because they do not understand how to mix colors. Any natural dye color can easily be duplicated with synthetic dyes, by adding greater or lessor amounts of the dye color that is opposite on the color wheel (such as by adding red to green, or orange to blue).

Be sure to use 100% cotton or other natural fiber, and use fabric that is free of finishes that may repel dye, such as stain resistance, water resistance, or no-iron finishes. Use fiber reactive dye with soda ash as a fixative, as recommended in the instructions (except for Dylon Permanent, which has the soda ash included in the dye powder). 

Dyeing other materials requires different dyes and recipes. Some fibers, such as polyester, are impractical for home dyeing, though I can offer you one way to make an excellent camouflage design on polyester; others, such as polypropylene, or any fabric treated to be stain-resistant or water-repellant, are impossible to dye.


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