“EFFECT OF MORDANTING METHOD ON DYE ABSORPTION OF NATURAL DYES EXTRACTED FROM GULMOHAR LEAVES ON LINEN FABRIC”

Nature is full of fascinating colours and people had been exploiting them for dyeing garments, Ausing them in food and many other items of the daily use. It has been reported by ancient writers that there were at on time nearly thousand natural sources of dyes. There is a consideration demand for eco-friendly products in the global market and it is possible to master the technology of dyeing with natural dyes. In the search for newer natural source for dyes, and attempt has been made to extract dyes from selected gulmohar leaves, and it is applied on linen with pomegranate mordant technique. Effect of dyeing, method of extraction and mordant has been visualized on the colour strength and fastness properties of the dyed samples. In linen, regarding general appearance, the sample dyed with tree leaves using pomegranate mordant with pre-mordanting technique was rated as good. Texture and luster of sample was rated as medium and good respectively. The weight of the sample has maximum increased over the original. Gulmohar tree leaves, dyed with pomegranate as mordant by using pre-mordant technique are maintained the fabric thickness of linen. Linen sample dyed with gulmohar leaves increased the fabric strength. The colour fastness tests of Lenin sample proved that gulmohar leaves had very good light fastness with pre-mordant technique. In general, the sample had good to excellent colour fastness to dry and wet crocking and fair to good colour fastness to washing. Colour not only gives a pleasant look to the substrate, but also expresses emotion and ideas. The knowledge and use of colours began with the drawn of civilization perhaps, but the art of extraction and use of colour was discovered and perfected in India. India had the distinction of being the colour box of the ancient world. People demand coloured textiles for aesthetic appeal for decoration and for utilization purpose also. The colour is achieved through dyeing. In recent years there has been an interest manifested towards natural dyes. The reason being manifold including such as those of ecological movement, bio-degradability and higher compatibility of natural dyes with environment other advantages associated with natural dyes include lower toxity and allergic reactions in relations to synthetic dyes. So, in this study the natural colours are extracted from leaves of gulmohar tree and to apply on textile material with pomegranate mordant. These natural dyes also give some medicinal properties also.