Screen printing on silk fabric using natural indigo

Abstract

The purpose of this research was to study the printing silk fabric with natural indigo, using a modified starch produced from wild taro (Colocasia esculenta (L.) Schott) corm as thickening agent. The effects from the concentration of the natural indigo dye, added to the modified starch of wild taro corm, in recording the results of thiourea dioxide and sodium hydroxide were examined, after combining the printing paste. The colour values, colour strength, and the fastness properties of printed silk fabric were investigated and the results recorded in the following study. The optimal formula of printing silk fabric using natural indigo paste was prepared by mixing 50% natural indigo paste, 5% thickening agent from modified starch of wild taro corm, 6% thiourea dioxide, 0.4% sodium hydroxide and 38.6% water. The pattern design produced from these combinations in the printing areas on fabrics showed an excellent standard of printing quality and satisfactory colour fastness results were recorded at a level of good to very good. © 2018 Slovak University of Technology in Bratislava. All rights reserved.