Full Paper THE INNOVATIVE WET DYEING BATIK T SHIRT TECHNIQUE PDF
Full Paper THE INNOVATIVE WET DYEING BATIK T SHIRT TECHNIQUE PDF
Full Paper THE INNOVATIVE WET DYEING BATIK T SHIRT TECHNIQUE PDF
1, 2016
ISSN 2309-0405
ABSTRACT
INTRODUCTION
Batik, as a form of resisting decorative technique, is a fabric dyeing method which uses wax
or paste to create patterns and designs. It is well known throughout Japan, India, and
Indonesia (Sandberg, 1989). The designs are created with fabrics when melted wax or
prepared paste (a dye-repellent matter) is applied in areas of the cloth to prevent them from
absorbing colours when the cloth is dipped into dye. The wax or paste applied is also used to
control colours from spreading out from a particular area to create motif when the resisted
cloth is dyed (Belfer, 1977; Asmah, 2004)). A method thought to be over a thousand years
old, today; engages the use of foam, metal or wooden blocks, tjanting, brushes and broom as
tools to register manually the melted wax onto the T-shirt or the fabric.
The most common material used is the paraffin wax mixed with bee’s wax referred to as
batik wax instead of the traditional cooked cassava starch pastes to prevent dyeing in
designated areas. The wax fuses with the fabric to create an impermeable seal and thus stops
any area under the wax from soaking-in colour. The presences of the bee’s wax used to
produce the batik wax, creates a strong bond between the fabrics and resist leakage during
multiple dye-baths. The tint of the batik cloth is dependent on the desired colour saturation
determined by the temperature of the dye bath submerged, the length of time and the
adjustment of its colour saturation. The contrast of dyed and untouched fabric etches out the
lines and textures of the design, as the wax is removed, using hot water and the possible
addition of alkaline solvents. Depending on the desired result, the process can be repeated to
create layers of colour with complex images.
The tie-dye technique involves various methods of folding fabrics, tying, binding and dyeing
of the fabric in a dye bath. The bindings prevent the tied portions of the fabric from receiving
the dye and the bonded parts untied, reveal the designs created. Diverse cultures have
different names for this technique, Plangi, for Indonesia (Asmah, 2004: Picton et al, 1995),
Bandharu in India (Asmah, 2004: Picton et al, 1995), Adire Eleso for Nigeria (Adetoro, 1972:
Oparinde, 2012), and Shibori in Japan (Belfer, 1977: Asmah, 2004).
Resist dyeing in the form of starch paste is similar to hot wax resist dyeing, but a cooked
soluble flour paste is applied to the fabric instead of hot wax. The technique is extensively
used throughout Asia and Africa, particularly Nigeria, where such process is referred to as
Adire Eleko (Adetoro, 1972: Oparinde, 2012: Asmah et al, 2015). The tritik technique refers
to thread stitches sewn tightly into the cloth and gathered to form the resist. Though other
cultures have adopted this traditionally Indonesian technique, it remains one of the easiest
form of resisting in West Africa. In marbling, the fabric is bunched up into a wrapped ball
created by gathering the fabric in all directions, tied or stitch and produced by the tabletop
dyeing method. The result after dyeing, indicate a blend of texture revealed after untying the
fabric. As the name implies, tubular-dyeing is dyeing the fabric while still wrapped around a
tube. The resultant effect forms a V-textured, linear coloured patterns (Asmah, 2004).
With the knotting technique, as the name suggests, the fabric goes through a series of knots at
desired intervals along the folded length of the fabric. The resultant product forms patterns of
wavy lines. The twist and coil technique also produces a tight twisted fabric that coils itself
backwards. The result is a W-shaped series of movements throughout the fabric after dyeing
(Asmah, 2004). The tools and materials needed are the same as those used for the knotting
technique. The clamping methods make use of solid flat objects like wooden boards pressed
against the fabric and tied at both ends with threads to form the resist (Belfer, 1977: Asmah,
2004).
With the advent of modern technology, decorative techniques on T-shirts have seen
innovative changes in its dyeing applications resulting in interesting and unique fashionable
products. (Fig., 1 & 2) Furthermore, these techniques adapted, combine with other forms of
fabric decoration. A new form of batik that is a mélange of tie-dye and batik techniques is
now invoked. Intricate designed fabrics are created by using some, all, or a combination of
these techniques outlined above. (Fig., 1)
The methodology adopted, helped to study table dyeing production procedures, the
characteristics of cotton T-shirt dyeing fabrics and its possibilities to relate to wax print
techniques. The studio experiment or the practice base methodology depended on studio
activities under the qualitative research to help use the analysis established to create the
innovative wet-dyeing batik T-shirt prints. It also gave a holistic picture of what goes on in
the dyeing industry (Frankel et al, 1993). The activities of the experiments conducted and its
results were recorded carefully, and critical observations made. Both primary and secondary
data were utilized in the study. The purposive sampling technique was used in selecting the
materials for the study.
Materials used for the project were as follows; cotton T-shirt due to their versatility,
adaptability, durability and affinity to the dye used, vat dye, sodium hydrosulphite, sodium
hydroxide, tracing paper, water, mild detergent, heat source (coal pots), metal bucket,
aluminium pots, plastic cups and spoons, big bowls as dye-baths, rubber gloves, thumb-tacks,
small plastic palette bowl for measuring dyes, wax, aprons, wooden slate, hand gloves,
syringe and wooden stick for dewaxing. Tools and equipment employed in the project
included, a pen and pencil, a ruler, tjanting, working table, pressing iron, working shed,
camera, computer and water reservoir.
The two main criteria in opting for the vat dye are its behaviour during and after washing and
its higher colour yields (Asmah et al, 2015). Gutjahr et al, (1994), reiterates that vat dyes
provide a good range of fast colour properties. They are water-soluble, have an affinity for
cotton T-shirts and after dyeing can be oxidized to turn the soluble vat dye into insoluble dye.
Such reversibility of its reaction requires the use of both sodium hydrosulphite (Na2S2O4)
and sodium hydroxide (NaOH) to improve dye solubility (Asmah et al, 2015). In principle,
controlled dyeing on a plain-coloured fabric diffuses rapidly within the fibres of the T-shirt
fabric as it goes through the mechanisms of dye fixation (Gutjahr et al, 1994). According to
Asmah et al, (2015), the dyeing operation is accelerated and its fixation during and after
oxidation attains an adequate fastness level.
In this tropical climate, cotton T-shirt is a highly preferred choice due to its soft, breathable,
eco-friendly, affordable, and organic nature. T-shirts come in a variety of different materials,
from cotton and linen with polyester and rayon. The major material used for the study was
the Pima cotton plain T-shirt fabric used normally for the production of table top dyeing due
to their absorption rate, texture, longevity, weight, availability, free of finishes, comparative
strength, affinity for vat dyes and its ability to hold its shape even after numerous washing
and wearing (Asmah et al, 2013). It is also of high-quality that resist pilling and stretching
and only get better with wear. However, its defect is a bit of shrink after the first wash under
high temperature. T-shirt print has been the favourite clothing among youngsters, often used
to portray their personality and style. With changing time and fashion, these T-shirts have
seen many innovations and technological advances that have made this clothing, even more
modern and popular among people of all age groups.
Dyeing Procedure
For this study, two new cotton T-shirts weighing 135 grams each were immersed in cold
water for 2 minutes and removed onto the working table without squeezing out the water
from the T-shirts. This was very important because the essence of the results depends on it.
The wet T-shirts were immediately marbled by gathering them separately to form loose
circular shapes on the working table (Fig., 3). The prepared vat dyes were then gradually
distributed on the wet T-shirts with the help of a syringe per each colour dye for the first T-
shirt and the use of the tablespoon per each colour dye for the second T-shirt. (Fig., 3)
After the normal preparation of the vat recipe for Mixture A, a lot of water (Table 1) was
added to achieve a diluted tint of the colour. Mixture B followed the same normal procedure
for mixing all the three ingredients of dyes and chemicals with an additional 29.58ml of water
to achieve a normal bright colour. This was done for all the three colours selected for each T-
shirt.
With the mixtures ready to be used, Mixture “A” group of dyes in three separate palettes
bowls were siphoned one after each other into 3 syringes and distributed all over one of the
wet-out T-Shirt on the working table. The other group of three separate dyes for Mixture “B”
were then distributed over certain selected portions of the marbling T-Shirt, arbitral this time
with the help of only the tablespoon (Fig., 3). The T-Shirts were allowed to lie on the
working table for a duration of 45 minutes to 1 hour. The T-Shirts were then removed and
hanged on a drying line to oxidize and dry. The two T-Shirts registered a bleeding effect all
over after drying to make room for further work to begin (Fig., 4 & 5). The selected design
pencil sketches in the sketchbook were transferred onto the already dyed T-shirts.
The next stage was to prepare the marbled T-shirt by inserting a cut-out plywood slate that fit
perfectly into the T-Shirt as the melted wax on a controlled stove was made ready. A tjanting
tool made of foam (Fig., 6) that works almost the same as a real metal tjanting tool was used
to draw over the pencil or pen outlines design on the T-shirt (note that any motif can be
drawn using a 6B pencil before waxing). The melted wax was picked with the tjanting tool
and applied as desired based on the drawings on the T-Shirt. (Fig., 6) As the waxing
progressed, the composition was refined. Areas intended to display the background marbled
colour of the T-shirt were covered with wax. The moderately hot wax used was to avoid the
spread of the melted wax into undesired areas of the T-shirt. To achieve the perfect
temperature of the melted wax demands practice. After the completed images, the tissue was
submerged into a dye bath set at pH 6 in a similar dyeing procedure used for mercerized
cotton fabric.
Dyeing is essentially a mass transfer process where the dye diffuses in solution, adsorbs onto
the fibre surface, and finally, within the fibre heightened by its many sources of colour
variations, such as dyes, substrate and preparation of substrate, dyeing auxiliaries used and
water. The implication of such processing coupled with variables such as time, temperature,
and dye liquor ratio (pounds of dye bath to pounds of cloth) appropriately applied to the T-
shirt prints realized a good dyeing result. To ensure thorough penetration, the concentrated
solution of dyes and chemicals were made to move evenly and uniformly to the T-shirt fabric
by intermittent hand pouring of mixed dyes onto the dyeing T-shirt while on the working
table for the first experiment and the use of the tablespoon for the distribution of the second
experiment. This dyeing system ensured that the potency of most of the liquid dyes utilized
was completely exhausted and appreciably dissolved into the dyeing T-shirts.
Dewaxing was done by melting the wax off the T-shirt surfaces. In order to make this
happen, a big basin of water was boiled. Usually this was done over an open fire pit, but other
means of heating the water would suffice. The T-shirt fabrics with wax were submerged into
the hot water, turned several times and quickly pulled out into the cold water basin to the left
over wax to drip off completely after washing. The mechanical finishing operation, other than
preparation and colouring, carried out improved upon the appearance and usefulness of the T-
shirt after it was dewaxed, washed in an alkaline solution, dried and given an ironing
treatment to complete the fixation process. (Fig., 7 & 8) This rendered the resultant products
to attain wash and light fastness.
The introduction of an innovative wet dyeing T-shirt technique into tabletop dyeing gives its
dyeing fraternity a new concept of marbling dyeing. The unique way of preparing the vat for
colouration by introducing additional water to the mixture of sodium hydroxide and sodium
hydrosulphite, gave a watery light tint colour effect that proved successful. The adaptation of
such a technique to the normal vat dyeing process to produce a streaky background for a
resist printed fabric, gave rise to a unique design surface for the project. The resultant effect
of the project comparatively, was remarkable, coupled with the variability outcome of
colouration over the traditional table top dyeing method, prepared under the normal table top
dyeing procedure.
Technically, the composition of the recipe dyes is scientifically simple yet varied to yield, a
resultant effects determined not only by the constituents of the dye recipe used, but by the
wet out technique of the T-shirt, the nature of the substrate and the application of the vat dye
mixture utilized. In this application, vat dyes were converted to a water-soluble form that had
an affinity for the T-shirt and were subsequently converted back to their water-insoluble
form, giving good permanence under wet conditions (Asmah, 2004). The soluble state of the
dye diffused uniformly into the fibres of the T-shirt fabrics, exhaustively dyeing the T-shirts
on the table during the entire dyeing period. The presence of the watery dye liquor on the
table top aided the streaky formation of the dye colours on the T-shirt fabrics as there were no
movement or disturbance of the T-shirts placed on the table (Asmah et al, 2015). The
relevance of its stationary position, increased the streaky shade of colour effect in that area as
the dye in this setting, attained maximum diffusion due to the concentration of dye within the
dyeing period.
At the end of the dyeing period, this same streaky colour effect revealed gave an easy flowing
natural path which aided the designed composition of the resisted areas. The induction to the
design values the designer adopted was based on the water-like flowing design concepts.
With this philosophy, the path of the waxed areas simulates the demonstration of a spilled
water movement effect displayed on an oily substrate. The resultant abstracted design effect
achieved was nothing short of the design registered on a zebra skin that reflects the visual
illustration of animalistic subjects that relate to the beauty of nature. The aesthetic principles
of design demonstrated an artistic design approach, however, the execution, focused more on
the aesthetic background achieved by the wet dyeing technique.
The printing processes involved the use of three ingredients - water as a solvent, sodium
hydrosulfite (Na2S2O4) and sodium hydroxide (NaOH) as auxiliary sodium agents. The
dyeing was done using the table top dyeing technique - where the process included the
preparation of the dye recipe, the wet out and the marbling of the T-shirt fabrics on the
working table, oxidation, drying, waxing, dyeing of the final colour, dewaxing, washing,
drying of final products and fixation by ironing of the T-shirt fabrics. With such clear
methodology, repeating the operation can easily be followed. The project successfully
applied the four basic steps common to table dyeing process which are; dissolving or
dispersing dye, diffusing dye onto the fibre surface, absorbing dye onto the fibre surface and
diffusing dye into the fibre (Asmah et al, 2015). This ascertained the fact that the dyeing
technique adopted by pouring of the dye liquor onto the T-shirt fabric placed on the working
table was appropriate for the study. The dyeing T-shirt remained in contact with the dye
liquor deposited on the dyeing table for better results throughout the entire dyeing period.
The indication of proper contact of the cotton T-shirt material with the dye liquor, as the dye
molecules migrated from the dye solution and entered the fibres over the entire dyeing period
of 45 minutes to an hour duration attested to its affinity. An affirmation that the dyeing
process, auxiliary sodium chemicals and controlled dyeing conditions used in the dyeing
process accelerated and optimized the migration process (Adanur, 1995: Asmah et al, 2015).
Such dyeing condition helped fix the dye in the fibre after which the T-shirts were washed to
remove unfixed dyes and chemicals after oxidation. This was done to ensure level dyeing,
even after drying, as the dyed T-shirts went through a series of washing to remove un-bonded
or unreacted dyes before aeration over the drying lines. This action rendered the resultant
products to attain wash fastness after ironing.
The manual finishing procedure, other than the preparation and colouring, carried out also
enhanced the appearance and efficacy of the T-shirt fabrics after the ironing treatment to
complete the fixation process. The implications are that the wet-dyeing batik T-shirt print is
achievable and its improvement and sustenance will be enhanced if learning institutions are
engaged in this dyeing operation. Other entrepreneurs and fashion houses can also benefit
immensely from this product if they can take advantage of this study to engage dyers to
customize their products. The study will inspire creativity, especially among educationist and
textile instructors to sustain design education in textiles, in fabric decoration, and innovations
in the traditional textile industry in Ghana.
CONCLUSIONS
The strong consumer-led demand for cellulosic T-shirt fabrics in Ghana, in this tropical
conditions presumably becomes relevant to the persisting fashion for organic clothing. In
most cases, these goods are coloured in a wide gamut of shades to meet the highest possible
levels of wet and light fastness and easy-care requirements of modern life, so it is, with the
outcome of these two experiments.
Obviously, the above mentioned technology involving the making, modification, utilization
of knowledge of tools, methods and dexterity to improve upon a pre-existing table top dyeing
effect, coupled with a waxing method registered an innovative, wet-dyeing batik T-shirt
technique. These underlying principles guided the project in the application of applied
technology and material science to develop this new product (Shuaib, 2012). The project best
describes the aesthetic value, technology designed and the functionality of the wet-dyeing
batik T-shirt fabrics.
Vat dyes are becoming increasingly popular for dyeing cellulosic fabrics in Ghana because of
their wide shade range, ease of application and excellent wet fastness properties. All these
dyeing systems, presents an increasing efficiency of vat dye penetration of an alkaline dye
bath conditions. The dependency on fabric affinity to dye hinges on the chemical structure of
the dye and fabric molecules and the interactions between them. Thus, chemical bonding
plays an important role in how and why vat dyes work. The structures of vat dyes are rather
well known and still the most important colourant for cotton T-shirt fabrics. This underscores
the importance of dye affinity for cellulosic substrates that requires the dye to remain within
the polymer matrix when water swells the substrate.
The outcome of the research displays a diversity of watery coloured background images
mixed with a detailed wax outline pattern print definition. To be abreast with changing trends
traditional wax designers are now challenged to be innovative in their dyeing and waxing
techniques of T-shirt decoration acceptable by most consumers. This will broaden the choice
of T-shirt decoration and provides inspiration to strengthen the drive of the Ghanaian
traditional fashion industry to command a broader spectrum of youthful appeal. Such
technique adds to the existing traditional tabletop dyeing products and increase the options
available to both producers and buyers of T-shirt fabrics and provides a new business
opportunity for Ghanaian dyers and fashion producers.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
This research paper is made possible through the involvement of Mr. Sylvester Lumor and
Miss Julia Owusu Prempeh and the anonymous reviewers.
REFERENCES