Application of natural dyes from selected indigenous plants on cotton and silk fabrics

Standard procedures for mordant dyeing were used to dye plain weave cotton and silk fabrics with dye from four selected indigenous plants viz: A. coriaria, V. paradoxa, M. lucida and H. madagascarensis. Alum and ferrous sulphate mordants were with the following mordanting methods; pre, simultaneous and post mordanting. Color fastness was used as a basis to evaluate the performance of each method. Color strength imparted on fabric was used as a basis to optimize the following selected dyeing variables viz: temperature, dyeing time, material to liquor ratio (M:L), and mordant concentration (o.w.f). Mordant dyeing under optimized conditions improved color strengths and fastness on both cotton and silk fabrics. According to the optimized variables, silk fabrics required a little more heating (80˚C to 95˚C) for a longer time (≈ 1hr 30mins) than cotton to achieve optimal strengths of color. The fastness obtained for various fastness characteristics on both fabrics dyed under optimized conditions varied from fairly good (3) to excellent (5) with cotton giving better fastness. However, silk recorded better color strength in term of k/s values in the range of (110 to 260) and more lustrous appearance was observed on it. Dye from M. lucida plant species recorded overall superior color characteristics on both fabrics and with both mordants.