But along with this, at a very early stage in the textile industry, there was developed the art of making patterns, regular or irregular, by the action of dyestuffs upon previously woven goods. In general there are three methods for doing this which, it is claimed, were known to the ancient Egyptians just as well as they are to the modern calico printer. These three methods are known as Direct Coloring, Discharge, and Resist dyeing.
FIG. 2—TIED AND DYED HEADDRESS FROM AN INCA TOMB IN PERU
Direct Coloring.—This means the application of the dyestuff or coloring matter to different special portions of the textile or fabric, so as to give a colored design, upon a lighter background. The dye may be applied by dipping special portions of the fabric into it, in which case the pattern is apt to be a very loose and irregular one. Or, if the material will take the dye readily enough, as for instance in the staining of leather, it may be applied with a brush, or a small pad.
More formal and intricate designs can be made by applying the color in the form of a paste, through the help of stencils, as worked out by the Japanese so beautifully, or by means of wooden or metallic blocks, as in the block printing in the East, which in Europe and America has developed into the art of calico printing, by rolls run by machinery.
Discharge.—This process is the exact reverse of the preceding one, in that the cloth or other material is dyed first, and later the color is either entirely removed or, it may be, very decidedly altered in shade, in certain special parts, by the application of some chemical.
The earliest examples of this are where cloths stained with Iron buff, have had patterns made in them by washing out certain portions with acid. Just as some of the earliest forms of “direct coloring” are shown in the dark patterns of leaves, formed by the same Iron buff dye, upon cloth against which moist fresh leaves have been crushed.
The discharge process is not as commonly used by craftsmen as the other two methods, because it has not always been easy to find or to use a chemical that will properly destroy or change any particular color, without at the same time, if fast dyes are used, destroying or at least injuring the fabric. The professional dyer, working in conjunction with the chemist, carefully weighing the reagents, and using steam chests and drying chambers with definite and carefully regulated temperatures, can fully discharge even the fastest dyes without danger. But this is difficult, if not impossible for the craftsman, and while the process will be discussed and described under the subject of stencilling, it will be found, comparatively, of but little practical importance.
Resist.—The third and last method for getting colored patterns is one which has been used in different ways, by the most widely scattered nations, and which, to this day, furnishes one of the most interesting and important processes at the disposal of the craftsman, as opposed to the professional dyer.
It consists of applying to certain portions of the fabric, before dyeing, some agent which, acting either chemically or mechanically, will “resist” the action of the dyestuff at the places where it is applied. These parts accordingly will remain in their original color, or at any rate will be but slightly colored, while other portions, not so protected, will be dyed full shades. This, in many respects, is the most advantageous way of obtaining patterns for the craftsman, because no action has taken place tending to injure the strength or durability of either material or dyestuff, and as the color is applied in a regular dye-bath there is generally an opportunity to apply the dyestuffs in the most approved manner.