Dyes and Dyeing

Dyes and Dyeing by Charles E. Pellew includes a chapter headed Theory and Practice of Color Dyeing. The chapter headed Theory and Practice of Color Dyeing says that dyeing to shade is a more difficult subject, that the art is not an easy one, by any means, and that only a few fundamental principles can be learned from a book. The text says that attractive scarfs and table covers can be made with a little care, by knotting the material and dyeing light rainbow shades of the three colors, one after the other.

The text says it often happens that after matching carefully a soft mixed shade by daylight, the colors appear entirely different when viewed by artificial light, and especially by ordinary gaslight. The text describes the very simple but extremely effective little Japanese knives for cutting stencil designs, whose blade of very highly tempered steel is two or three inches long. The text says that, if the dyestuff were dissolved in water and a wet skein of wool or silk were immersed in it with a little heat applied, the color would leave the liquid, and fasten itself firmly on to the goods.