The Washington times., 1927-07-11
New COlOrs From
the Dye Pot
Splendid Results Obtained at the
Institute in the Renovation
of Summer WoTdYobes


Of Summer WGTdTObes
The first warm days invariably
make us turn to summer ward
/ robes, to discover our needs fer the
coming summer and consider the
| possibility of retaining faded gar
ments. This spring the wardrobes
of the Institute staff have brought
| forth a collection of last years
summer garments which had faded
and were badly in need of bright
ening. In considering the possibili-
/ ties Of restoring these. dye baths
/ of every conceivable color, shade
/ and tone were prepared.
| Several crepe de chine dresses
| were stripped-that is, the color
was removed from then-and they
were re-dyed. The stripping was
accomplished with a bleach, leaving
/ the material in a neutral tone. By
/ this method any color could be
chosen. and no thought had to be
! given to the way in which the
! original color would affect the dye.
I In stripping a color you may en-
{
/ cult to strip, such as black and
some reds. Before attempting the
whole garment, therefore. first try
/ out a small piece. such as belt,
I to find out IL it can be stripped of
/ color. Then dye it the desired hue.
| If the color is not stripped, certain
! color combinations must be kept in
/ mind, as the original color will CON-
! bine with the dye. For example.
I blue over yellow. will make green,
red over yellow will make orange,
and blue over red gives purple. In
| dyeing a garment in the dark
| shades and in black, il the original
color il not removed. il will tend
| to give rusty or duh tone to the
| fabric.
Too much stress cannot be laid
on following the exact directions
given with the particular dye. for
! this is the only means to have
clear. even dyeing. Although direc-
lions vary somewhat, depending
upon what form of dye you pur-
chase, there are general directions
which should he carried out in any
event Excellent instruction books
are now published by number of
| the dye manufacturers. These are
valuable and should be carefully
| studied before attempting home dye
| ing. as they give detailed instruc-
| tons for the entire process, includ-
| ing directions for obtaining the
popular shades.
The first step in preparation for
dyeing is to remove all stains. then
thoroughly wash with warm soap
suds. 1t is necessary to weigh the
article to be dyed. and to use the
correct proportion of dye. 1t may
be of help to know that the aver
age onepiece silk dress weighs
approximately one-half pound. Use
large utensil, such as a preserv'
ing kettle, dishpan or washboiler.
that will allow the material to be
completely Immersed, and a small
bowl or saucepan for dissolving the
dye. Strain the dye liquid before
pouring it into the dye bath. This
will help to prevent uneven dyeing.
| The article should be thoroughly
wet before it is ready to put into
the dye. Note the time when the
article is put into the dye bath,
and keep it there in constant mo-
ton the exact time given in the
directions.
After the dyeing process is com.
pleted, the article should be thor
oughly rinsed in lukewarm water
to remove any excess dye. A bet.
ter finish will be given if most of
the water is evenly extracted be-
fore ironing. Do not wiring the
article, but use your extractor.
type washing machine. if you have
one. or lay the article full length
on a Turkish towel, folding the
towel lengthwise over it. and gently
| pressing out the moisture. Iron
on the wrong side.
| In addition to retaining faded
clothing. such as dresses. lingerie,
hose, our dye pot produced lovely
scarfs, shading from a light to a
| deep color, by following instruc-
! lions outlined in the dye manuals.