CONTRASTS AND SHADINGS, OR OMBREES.
Fashion and fancy sometimes requires the dyer of ostrich feathers to dye upon one feather two, or even three contrasting colors, or different shades of the same color, that is, the tips of the feathers in another color or shade than that of the lower part of the feather. Generally in these combinations the tip is dyed the lighter color or shade, and the lower part considerably deeper or in a heavier color. Very popular combinations are: the tip light blue and the bottom brown, the tip rose and the lower part bordeaux, the tip light orange or dark yellow and the lower part garnet brown, tip rose with olive bottom part, or even three colors, such as the tip rose, the part below it medium olive green, and the lowest part deep violet. That such combinations are very handsome cannot be asserted; but fashion dictates, and fancy sometimes prefers oddity to beauty. More rational are at any rate the ombrées, or combinations of two or three shades of the same color upon one feather. The operation is the same for both styles; but contrasts are generally dyed only upon single feathers, while ombrées, being in greater demand, are dyed by strings or even in greater lots. The feathers being scoured and rinsed as usual, are first dyed wholly in the lightest color or shade to be produced, according to recipe, say light blue for the tip, and dried. Then wrap the top, as far as it is to be light blue, in paper (some dyers use for this purpose oiled or waxed paper) and tie the paper firmly, but not so hard as to injure the feather, with a string, not so loosely as to allow the paper envelope to slip out of place during the manipulation. Then, holding the feathers by the top, dip them into the boiling hot bath for the other color, or shade, to be dyed, but only so deep that the paper just touches the surface of the dye-liquid. This method is the safest for learners or new beginners. For more experienced workers it is unnecessary to use the paper wrapping; they simply first dye the light bottom shade, dry or not, according to the characters of the two colors (for shadings, half-dry feathers, that is, drained and squeezed out, are rather preferable), and loosely hold them in the bath for the second color, or deeper shade. They have it thereby in their power to effect a more gradual transition from one color or shade to the other. As the color becomes deeper, the longer the feather is immersed in the bath, it is plain that the dyer can easily produce upon one feather a complete graduated scale of shades. Each time, after a shade has been dyed to the required depth, the feathers are rinsed in cold water and some more dyestuff solution added to the bath. These additions require good judgment, because too much dyestuff added would cause an abrupt, dull contrast instead of a desirable gradual shaking off, or transition from one shade to the other. There ought only a little more dyestuff be added each time, than has been absorbed from the bath by dyeing the preceding shade. If paper wrappings are used, they must naturally be untied for rinsing and replaced by longer pieces before entering the bath for the following darker shade. After rinsing the feathers must always be well squeezed out. If two colors are to be dyed, for instance light blue tip with brown lower part, dye first the whole feather light blue, rinse, dry, tie up the tip in paper, and dye the lower half brown.
It needs not to be mentioned that for dyeing two or three contrasting colors upon one feather only such dyes must be chosen as can serve for bottoming and topping one another without materially altering the character of the topping color.