The student is advised to practise, from the start, tying his tape with a slip loop, or at any rate a bow knot, and not with a fast square knot each time, so as to save trouble and bother when untying later. A skilful craftsman will tie quite a large piece of cloth, in an interesting and fairly complicated design, in a few minutes. But after dyeing, while the cloth is still wet, and the tape or string has shrunk, and the knots have tightened, it is often more trouble to untie, or cut it open, than it was to make it, and there is always the danger of cutting holes in it. A little pains in laying down one end of the tape, before starting to tie, so that, when the whole loop is tied up, the other end will come out alongside of the first so that it can be joined to it by a bow knot, will save any amount of time and vexation.
Sewed and Dyed Work.—Besides protecting the cloth from the action of the dyestuff by tying string or tape around it, the same effect can be produced by sewing up certain parts of it, before dyeing, and then, after the rest has been colored, and the loose dye-liquor washed off, the sewed-up parts can be opened and pressed into shape.
This modification of the process, so far as I can learn, is not practised by the Rajputs with their chundries, but in the Benedict collection can be seen some most extraordinary and elaborate pieces of dyed work made just in this way. The Japanese, also, have been in the habit of using this method, and sometimes they produce curious zigzag lines by taking coarse stitches across the cloth, alternately, first to one side and then to the other side of the centre line, and then drawing the thread tight. The needle is often used for borders—for straight lines can easily be made in soft materials (and such only should be used for tied work) by hemming the cloth with strong thread, and then drawing it up close and tight before putting it in the dye-bath. The development of this branch of the process, however, belongs properly to the fair sex.
FIG. 8—FOLDING THE CLOTH
| FIG. 9—STARTING TO TIE | FIG. 10—CENTRE PORTION TIED |
TIED AND DYED WORK
Dyeing Process.—Now for the dyeing process. Of course, for practise, the craftsman will use cotton as his raw material, in the form of muslin, cheesecloth, scrim, or best of all, light grades of mercerized cotton, and hence will use the various cotton dyestuffs. The Salt colors are hardly advisable, because though fast to light they are not all fast to washing unless well boiled on, and that means that, unless tied extremely fast and tight, the color would be bound to penetrate, and wipe out the design. The Sulphur colors and the Vat colors are the best for the purpose—for they can be dyed cold or lukewarm, without injuring the fastness of the dye, and give colors fast both to light and to washing. In general, it is easier to get even shades with the Sulphur colors, and their shades are soft and pleasing, but while fast, they are not as fast as the Vat dyes, and it is impossible to get a decent scarlet with them. The skilful dyer will, of course, select his class to suit the shade he is trying to get and also to meet the requirements about fastness. But, in general, he will use the Salt colors for covering and shading the patterns produced with either the Sulphur or the Vat dyes. When using the oxidation dyes, like the Sulphur or Vat colors, plenty of time must be given for the dyestuffs to oxidize and set before they are untied. But, on the other hand, directly they are once untied it is important to wash off the loose dye-liquor from the cloth, and especially from the tied-in portions, as soon as possible after untying, otherwise some dye-liquors that may have soaked in without having had a chance to oxidize, will, when exposed to air, suddenly fix themselves and obscure or ruin the pattern.
After attaining some skill in this process the craftsman is urged to try it on more important materials like silk. Most beautiful effects can be, and are being produced by this means, on soft delicate scarfs made of Chinese or Indian silks. The Acid colors are, of course, used for this, and as they take so readily on silk, the possibilities of shading and over-shading different portions of the design, or of adding a touch of color here and there where it seems desirable, offer infinite possibilities to an artistic workman. The combinations of color that can be produced are infinite, and the curious blending of regularity and irregularity, in the designs and figures, renders it a most attractive process to practise with.
One great attraction about it is the sense of suspense, and the impossibility of telling just what effect is being produced, until the knots are all untied, and the cloth washed off and opened out.