Mordants. — In colorings it is sometimes necessary to employ mordants, or
substances to " fix " color; they may even change a color; so, by mixing mordants,
different shades are produced. But it will not be necessary to enter into this subject
here. Where mordants are necessary, they will be given in the simple recipes. In rela-
tion to fixing colors generally, and this applies to washing, the following will be
useful :
Take a large double handful of bran, put it in a saucepan and set it over the
fire, allowing it to boil thoroughly in a quart of water. When thoroughly boiled,
strain the bran, and throw the water into that in which you are about washing your
lawn or chintz dress. Let the dress soak for an hour or so in it before washing.
Instead of starch use a weak solution of glue-water, and iron on the wrong side.
XXIX. Coloring— Yello-w, Blue and Green.
Yellow. — Dissolve one-half pound sugar of lead in hot water; dissolve one-
fourth pound bichromate of potash in a vessel of wood, in cold water. Dip the
CONTRIBUTIONS FROM FRIENDS ON HOUSEHOLD ECONOMY. 313
goods first in the load-watcv, then in tlic potash, tlicn ahcrnate until the color suits.
This quantity answers for five pounds of goods.
Blue. — Dissolve one-fourth pound copperas in soft water, sufficient to color five
pounds of goods ; put in the goods and let theui remain fifteen minutes ; then take
them out. Take clean soft water and dissolve two ounces prussiate of potash. Put
in the goods when it is milk-warm. Let them remain in this fifteen minutes ; then
take out the goods, and add one ounce of oil of vitriol to the potash dye when it is
only milk-warm; put in your goods again; boil for deep blue, and take out before
boiling for lighter shades.
Green. — Take the yellow dyed by the above recipe, and dye by the recipe
given for dyeing blue, and you will have a beautiful green. — N. B., Elm Grove, Mich.
Coloring Cotton. — To four pounds of rags take one and one-half ounces oxalic
acid, two ounces of Prussian blue; let each soak over night in one quart of rain-
water, then put together in as much warm rain-water as you want to color with. Put
in the rags and let them be in twenty minutes. Wring out and dip in the following
yellow dye.
Take six ounces of sugar of lead, four and a half ounces of bichromate of pot-
ash; dissolve in a pint of hot rain-water. Take as much hot rain-water as you want
to color with. Dip first in the lead, then in the potash several times. Rinse in cold
rain-water. Use tin or copper — no simmering is needed. The first makes a blue, the
last a beautiful yellow, and both a durable green. — Mrs. Lizzie B., Rochester, la.
A Good Yellow. — Take bichromate of potash, one pound to a pailful of water;
for blue, two boxes bluing. Color yellow first, then dip the goods, either cotton or
woolen, into the blue dye, and you have a deep durable green. Scald thoroughly. —
A. J. T., Algona, la
Coloring Cotton Red. — Take two pounds of Nicaragua, or red wood, four
ounces solution of tin. Boil the wood for an hour or more, turn off the dj^e into a tub
or pail. Then add the tin, and put in your cotton. Let it stand five minutes, and
you will have a nice red. — Mrs. H., Fort Atkinson, Wis.
Or this. — For four pounds of goods, take one pound of redwood. Steep in
cold water over night, then let it come to a boil. Skim out the chijjs; wring out the
the goods in the dye, then add suflicient muriate of tin to set the color; return the
goods to the dye, let them remain until colored deep enough. Color in brass or tin.
— Eliza, Atchison, Kan.
Page 181
Presented as published in 1905. Historical recipes may not meet modern food-safety standards. Cook from the modern interpretation, not the original instructions.
AI-modernized reading of the original text
Mordants. — In colorings it is sometimes necessary to employ mordants, or substances to " fix " color; they may even change a color; so, by mixing mordants, different shades are produced. But it will not be necessary to enter into this subject here. Where mordants are necessary, they will be given in the simple recipes. In relation to fixing colors generally, and this applies to washing, the following will be useful :
Take a large double handful of bran, put it in a saucepan and set it over the fire, allowing it to boil thoroughly in a quart of water. When thoroughly boiled, strain the bran, and throw the water into that in which you are about washing your lawn or chintz dress. Let the dress soak for an hour or so in it before washing. Instead of starch use a weak solution of glue-water, and iron on the wrong side.
XXIX. Coloring— Yello-w, Blue and Green.
Yellow. — Dissolve one-half pound sugar of lead in hot water; dissolve onefourth pound bichromate of potash in a vessel of wood, in cold water. Dip the
goods first in the lead-water, then in tlic potash, then alternate until the color suits. This quantity answers for five pounds of goods.
Blue. — Dissolve one-fourth pound copperas in soft water, sufficient to color five pounds of goods ; put in the goods and let theui remain fifteen minutes ; then take them out. Take clean soft water and dissolve two ounces prussiate of potash. Put in the goods when it is milk-warm. Let them remain in this fifteen minutes ; then take out the goods, and add one ounce of oil of vitriol to the potash dye when it is only milk-warm; put in your goods again; boil for deep blue, and take out before boiling for lighter shades.
Green. — Take the yellow dyed by the above recipe, and dye by the recipe given for dyeing blue, and you will have a beautiful green. — N. B., Elm Grove, Mich.
Coloring Cotton. — To four pounds of rags take one and one-half ounces oxalic acid, two ounces of Prussian blue; let each soak over night in one quart of rainwater, then put together in as much warm rain-water as you want to color with. Put in the rags and let them be in twenty minutes. Wring out and dip in the following yellow dye.
Take six ounces of sugar of lead, four and a half ounces of bichromate of potash; dissolve in a pint of hot rain-water. Take as much hot rain-water as you want to color with. Dip first in the lead, then in the potash several times. Rinse in cold rain-water. Use tin or copper — no simmering is needed. The first makes a blue, the last a beautiful yellow, and both a durable green. — Mrs. Lizzie B., Rochester, la.
A Good Yellow. — Take bichromate of potash, one pound to a pailful of water; for blue, two boxes bluing. Color yellow first, then dip the goods, either cotton or woolen, into the blue dye, and you have a deep durable green. Scald thoroughly. — A. J. T., Algona, la
Coloring Cotton Red. — Take two pounds of Nicaragua, or red wood, four ounces solution of tin. Boil the wood for an hour or more, turn off the dye into a tub or pail. Then add the tin, and put in your cotton. Let it stand five minutes, and you will have a nice red. — Mrs. H., Fort Atkinson, Wis.
Or this. — For four pounds of goods, take one pound of redwood. Steep in cold water over night, then let it come to a boil. Skim out the chijjs; wring out the the goods in the dye, then add suflicient muriate of tin to set the color; return the goods to the dye, let them remain until colored deep enough. Color in brass or tin. — Eliza, Atchison, Kan.