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An earlier Tropical Development and Research Institute (TDRI)* report 'G176 Dyeing of sisal and other plant fibres: A handbook for craft instructors' (Canning and Jarman, 1983) described techniques for obtaining fast colours on plant fibres such as sisal, abaca and coin The present handbook only supplements the information given in the earlier report and should be used in conjunction with it.
The materials described in this handbook are all leaf and straw materials obtained from plants. Some undergo very little processing before dyeing (e.g. vetiver grass) whereas others (e.g. jippi-jappa) are extracted using quite elaborate techniques.
The materials differ fundamentally from fibres such as sisal in that they all possess a cuticle or skin which acts as a barrier to dye penetration. The very few dyes which do penetrate the cuticle belong to the acid, basic and disperse classes of dyestuffs. In some materials, such as prepared coconut leaves, a fibrous surface is exposed during processing and therefore a wider range of dyes can be used, including direct dyes.
Very few of the dyes give colours of good fastness properties on leaves and straws but the range of fast shades can be extended by blending dyes. Disperse dyes can be mixed with either acid or basic dyes after they have been dissolved separately and the mixtures are applied as acid or basic dyes as appropriate. However, acid and basic dyes must not be mixed since they will neutralise one another to form an insoluble complex.
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