Abstract
To obtain a full range of colors on cotton, wool and silk fabrics with natural dyes, mordanting and combination dyeing were carried out. Tannic acid and metal compounds containing copper, tin, iron, nickel, chrome and alum were used as mordanting agents. Palmatin, red wood and natural indigo dyes were used as the three primary colors for combination dyeing. After mordanting, the colors of fabrics dyed with natural dyes changed. In combination dyeing of palmatin/red wood and palmatin/natural indigo, the two component natural dyes showed good miscibility in dye bath and various colors were obtained according to the content of dyes used. In combination dyeing of red wood and natural indigo, the various colors were not obtained due to gelation in dyebath. This problem could be solved by dyeing with indigo, mordanting then dyeing with red wood. Violet color was obtained by alum mordanting and gromwell dyeing. The expansion of color range of natural dyes by mordanting and combination dyeing has been demonstrated.