Henna as fabric dye? Yup!

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Posted by Catherine Cartwright Jones on October 4, 2001 at 20:54:29:

In reply to: Henna as fabric dye? posted by Bimbogeri on October 4, 2001 at 20:26:15:

Henna is a fabric dye. It is particularly fond of alpha and beta
keratin fibers (wool and silk). You know the wonderful russet orange
"eye" on the back of Amazigh capes from the Atlas region? That russet
is henna! It can be used to draw directly on cloth, and the patterns
are absolutely light and wash-fast once they've been heat set. This
was done both by Scythians and the T'ang dynasty Chinese as far as I
can tell ... and likely many others. (I certainly enjoy having fun
with it!) Henna was used to dye mummy wrappings.

Henna can be used in several ways. The indigenous method is to let
yarn lie in henna muck, dry, then cover it with hot sand to heat set
it. YOu can overdye it with indigo to get a respectable black. You can
push it towards orange, brown, black .... it's got a decent range.

To draw directly on cloth ... use it just as you would on skin (skip
the oils, and go ahead and use henna paste that would be totally
punked out for any other purpose). It can "wick" on cotton .. but you
can control that with a blow dryer, or by ironing the cloth very dry
first. I love it best on silk. I think the Scythians were using it
on felted wool, but Herodotus didn't leave pix or details. (Damn!)

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: Henna is a fabric dye. It is particularly fond of alpha and beta : keratin fibers (wool and silk). You know the wonderful russet orange : "eye" on the back of Amazigh capes from the Atlas region? That russet : is henna! It can be used to draw directly on cloth, and the patterns : are absolutely light and wash-fast once they've been heat set. This : was done both by Scythians and the T'ang dynasty Chinese as far as I : can tell ... and likely many others. (I certainly enjoy having fun : with it!) Henna was used to dye mummy wrappings. : : Henna can be used in several ways. The indigenous method is to let : yarn lie in henna muck, dry, then cover it with hot sand to heat set : it. YOu can overdye it with indigo to get a respectable black. You can : push it towards orange, brown, black .... it's got a decent range. : : To draw directly on cloth ... use it just as you would on skin (skip : the oils, and go ahead and use henna paste that would be totally : punked out for any other purpose). It can "wick" on cotton .. but you : can control that with a blow dryer, or by ironing the cloth very dry : first. I love it best on silk. I think the Scythians were using it : on felted wool, but Herodotus didn't leave pix or details. (Damn!)
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