Bundle Dyeing Case Study

For this project, I explored the process of bundle dyeing: a from of natural dyeing in which food waste is used to print onto fabric through steam.

Process

From my research, I discovered that bundle dyeing usually requires treating the materials with a “mordant,” which is a substance/powder that allows for better take of the dyes and keeps the dyes lasting longer. I tested different mordanting methods on cotton, linen, Tencel, and silk. Then, I let them “cure” (sit undisturbed in a dark space) for 1 week. I then let the fabrics scour (sit) in cold water mixed with dish soap for 3 hours to allow for better color intake. After this, I was able to start dyeing. All materials were bundle dyed with strawberry tops, sweet pepper tops, spinach waste, and fruit peels. Below are pictures from this step in the process.

After the materials were on the mordanted fabric swatches, I rolled them up, tied them with a string of cotton, and steamed them for 1.5 hours. Once this was complete, I unrolled the bundles, composted the waste materials, rinsed the swatches off, and hung them up to dry. I then let them cure for 1 week. After this, I steamed the swatches with an iron, then cut off pieces to wash them in acid-neutral soap to test for color fastness. I also cut up the washed swatches to test them in the sunlight. After the swatches were tested in the sunlight, I washed them again and hung them to dry.

Results

On cotton, the best mordanting method was plain alum, as it had the best color retention. Nothing really took too well on the linen except for the banana peels, which took color and held best on plain alum. Tencel seemed to take the colors best on alum and chalk, but none of the mordanting methods kept the color on this material. All of the methods, including no mordants, worked well on the silk fabric. The colors gleaned from the strawberries held better with no mordant on silk than the mordanted swatches. Overall, I would recommend bundle dyeing on silk over other fibers, as the silk took the colors extremely well and created really beautiful prints. No mordanting is required for silk fabrics when using this method.