Wednesday 21 May 2014

Dyeing in Haslemere - some recipes

I have squinted and tried to record what some of the dye recipes in Handbook on Dyeing, Etc. for woollen homespun workers (R. P. Milroy, Congested Districts Board for Ireland) say from the pictures in my previous post.  If you try any of them, please let me know how you get on!



Haslemere Peasant Arts movement, blue table runner,
Reproduced courtesy of Haslemere Educational Museum
Does this piece contain a blueish dye tint from bracken fern?


To Dye a Blueish Tint from Stem and Leaves of Bracken Fern

"Quantity 100 oz clean wool
Mordant: 8oz alum
   Boil the wool in the mordant for an hour, and wash in cold water.
Dye: 50 to 60oz of bracken leaves and stems
   Enter the mordanted wool, raise to the boil, and boil for an hour.
Wash thoroughly in cold water and dry.

A brown shade may be obtained from Peat Soot, by boiling the wool for an hour with sufficient Peat Soot to give the requisite colour.  The dye liquor should be of a darker shade than the wool is required, and the addition of a small quantity of common salt would be found useful.

A black can be obtained from Bog Ink, the usual method being as follows:-
For 100 oz of clean wool use 50 oz water-lily roots, boiling in this dyeing liquid for an hour.  This gives a dark-brown shade.  After this the wool is again for an hour in a dye bath containing 50oz of Bog Ink."

Haslemere Peasant Arts weaving bag
Reproduced courtesy of Haslemere Educational Museum
Does this display madder red dye?  Old gold?  Golden brown?


To Dye Madder Red

“Quantity – 100 oz clean wool
Mordant 8oz Alum, 2oz Tartar
Boil the wool in the mordant for one hour, and wash in cold water.
Dye 50 oz Madder
Enter the mordanted wool, raise to the boil, and boil gently for one hour.

Wash thoroughly in cold water and dry.

The method is exactly the same as when mordanting with Bicarbonate of Potash, except that the boiling is kept up for an hour, both in the mordant and the dye bath.


If the water is very soft, a small quantity of lime or chalk added to the dye bath improves the shade, and a small quantity of alder bark or of alder leaves, added to the dye bath will…”

To Dye Old Gold

"Quantity: 100 oz clean wool
Mordant: 3 oz Bichromate of Potash
              Boil the wool in the mordant for 45 minutes, and wash in cold water.

Dye:      24 oz Fustic, 6 oz Madder

Transfer the mordanted wool to the dye pot, raise to the boil, and boil for three-quarters of an hour.

Wash thoroughly in cold water and dry."

To Dye Golden Brown

"Quantity: 100 oz clean wool
Mordant: 3 oz Bichromate of Potash
               Boil the wool in the mordant for 45 minutes and wash in cold water.

Dye:        24 oz Madder, 14 oz Fustic, 3 oz Logwood
              Transfer the mordanted wool to the dye pot, raise to the boil, and boil for three-quarters of an hour.

Wash thoroughly in cold water and dry."

To Dye Claret
"Quantity: 100 oz clean wool
Mordant: 3 oz Bichromate of Potash
               Boil the wool in the mordant for 45 minutes, and wash in cold water.

Dye:       30 oz Madder, 3 oz Logwood
              Transfer the mordanted wool to the dye-pot, raise to the boil, and boil the three-quarters of an hour.

Wash thoroughly in cold water and dry."

2 comments:

  1. Fascinating - MANY thanks for satisfying my curiosity. You may have just taken me full circle again : )

    ReplyDelete
  2. Let me know if you try any dyeing!

    ReplyDelete

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