Assessing the efficacy of dyes extracted from some local plants for colouring cotton fabrics

Abstract

Natural dyes from plant, animal and mineral sources have been used for centuries across the world. This study however, describes art studio quasi experiments conducted with the leaves, barks, seeds, roots, and fruit pods of 21 local plants to ascertain their potential for yielding dyes that would colour cotton fabrics and withstand frequent laundering. The methodology involved boiling the crushed leaf samples or chopped woody samples for between 15 and 30 minutes, draining the liquor into a plastic bowl, immersing the test cotton fabric and dyeing it hot or cold. With the exception of Adansonia digitata dye which was too weak to stain the fabric and Bixa orellana dye which was not colourfast and faded beyond  recognition within six weeks, the other 19 plants yielded highly coloured, light- and wash-fast dyes of varying strengths, suggesting their feasibility for teaching basic skills in tie-dyeing, batik, watercolour painting and printmaking, which constitute integral aspects of the Visual Arts curriculum in Ghana. The study identified sodium carbonate as an effective mordant for improving the colour, strength and fastness of the brown Bridelia ferruginea dye which is the backbone of the indigenous textiles industry.

Keywords: Natural dye, local plants, colour work, visual arts curriculum, Ghana