ASSIGNMENT #3:
NATURAL DYE KIT RESULT QUESTIONNAIRE
NAZAR´EA JEAN
Sustainable Systems 2017
- What Plant material did you choose and why? Where did you get it (farmers market, grocery store, etc)? Where do you think it was grown? How far do you think it traveled to get to your hands?
We chose to use red carnations, because out of all of the materials they were the most outstanding color. They were purchased by Ming from a random vendor, and they had to have been grown nearby and cut relatively recent due to the state of freshness that they were in at the time we were conducting the experiment. The flowers probably had only traveled from a garden to the vendor where Ming transferred them to my hands.
2) What color did you expect before you boiled?
Mauve/Pink.
3) What color did you expect the wool/cotton would turn before you put the fibers into your natural dye liquid?
Mauve/Pink.
4) What color did you expect before putting your fibers in the mordant?
Mauve/Pink.
5) Alum is an acid mordant. Might other mordants impact the color differently (other common mordants: vinegar-acidic; ammonia-basic)?
Other Mordants would impact the color differently, because of the concentration of whatever chemical holds the color in the material and etc. It would vary across the board. The acids also effect the color, and whether it washes away heavily or lightly.
6) Was the color different between the oily and clean wool samples? Describe the differences.
The color was slightly different between oily and clean – the only real difference was the shade of the colors. One was warmer while one seemed to be cooler. It was hard to really differentiate.
7) Was the color different between the cotton samples (dyed-not washed, dyed-washed, dyed- mordant-washed)? Describe the differences. How was the color different between the cotton and wool samples? Describe the differences.
The cotton sample that was not rinsed with water is the closest to a classic baby pink color. The one that was rinsed is a more washed out baby pink, and the one treated with mordant is more peachy than pink. The wool samples were able to collect clumps of color it seems, because there are areas in the wool that seem to be more dyed than the rest.
8) You dyed two natural fibers (cotton and wool). Hypothesize (guess) how the natural dyes might work on synthetic fabrics such as polyester.
The dyes probably wouldn’t be as effective on synthetic fabrics, since those are harsher therefore harder to dye. They wouldn’t produce any noticeable color changes.
9) How satisfied are you with the outcome?
I’m pretty satisfied with the outcome, considering I didn’t know I could dye fabrics in such a way at home on my own stove!
10) Attach a cotton and wool sample to a note card and bring to class to present (see instructions in the assignment for labeling).
11) To do this tiny natural dye experiment, you used water in many different ways and disposed it in a sink. List all the things the water picked up and you put down the drain. How does this dirty water get clean again?
The water picked up the remaining color dye from the flowers, any dirt in the fabrics and dirt from our hands as well. It is cleansed again through a cycling process that the NYC Sewer Systems undergo – water is distributed back out to the ocean, where it is again reused.
12) Now think of the tons of fibers that were dyed this year for fashion (see the steps, processes, and chemicals used in this flow chart describing “Wet Process Dyeing”: https://textechdip.wordpress.com/contents/wet-processing/). Imagine one innovation that fashion or home décor designs might reduce pressure on clean water necessary for drinking and bathing (what could you eliminate, reduce, change, improve)?
It would be cool to see clothing items sold with personal dyeing kits, (all natural, of course) so that consumers could go home and dye their clothes on their own if they wish. That way, less dirty water is produced and customers have a cool new way to personalize their clothing.
12) Reflections: Will you do more natural dyeing? Were you surprised? What might you consider if using natural dyes in your own projects/products? What has not been considered? Why do you think natural dyes are uncommon? Do you think natural dyes are safer for the environment? Why or why not?
Natural dyes are probably uncommon because the process is tedious and the color isn’t as strong as most may want it to be. I am pleased with the outcome and will probably be dyeing some clothes of my own in the near future naturally. I was surprised to see that it actually worked, but convinced that I could become more sustainable by doing something like this on a regular basis. Natural dyes are definitely safer for the environment, as they provide another less harsh way of dyeing clothing.
13) Connecting Dots: In the Film “Tapped”, you saw how water bottles that were not recycled, ended up polluting waterways. Watch this 5 minute video about turning water bottles into fabric: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zyF9MxlcItw. What are the advantages and disadvantages of using recycled material as compared to virgin (harvesting cotton or mining oil)?
Using recycled material limits the amount of material being trashed and/or burned because there is no where for it to go. This is smart, because instead of putting trash into the ocean or burning it and creating harmful chemicals, Americans will be reusing the materials in ways they didn’t even know where possible.