Silk Natural Dyes from Darni

People have a habit of not washing Bugis silk sarong that has been used. In addition to worrying about missing rigidity, they also worried the color will fade. The colors used to dye yarn using a binder that does not easily fade.

Darni (27) natural dyeing training so now he can make the sarong and silk cloth that does not fade. More special, stain using natural ingredients, no chemical dyes. The use of chemical dyes on woven Bugis is so pervasiveness that almost nothing else remember this weaving was once colored by natural dyes.

"If you use chemical dyes, in addition harmful to the environment as well as to our own health. I ended up only using natural dyes though selling is not as easy to sell woven fabric dye chemistry", said in his home in the village Darni Sompe, District Sabbangparu, Wajo, South Sulawesi.

In contrast to the synthesis of dyes that just live life, to be made its own natural dyes and requires a long time. Darni using natural ingredients that are abundant or nature has become waste, such as kumia, mango leaves, and coconut sawdust..

From one kind of material, eg kumia, several kinds of colors can be produced, depending on the binder. For example, the orange color is produced from kumia locking alum added. The black color is produced from kumia added lotus and brown color of the wood powder binder added kumia whiting. coconut sawdust. produces gray and beige. Silk thread is dipped into the boiling water evenly natural materials and then dried.

Darni it took two weeks for the process of dyeing the silk threads that will be woven. Previously, he was treating himself spinning yarns of silk worm cocoons which silk-worms he also maintained his own. Thus, Darni working from upstream to downstream processes.

"When dyeing with chemical dyes, it only took 5 minutes. With natural coloring process need a two weeks for each dyeing process should then sun drying the natural drying process, can only be dyed again".

On average it need a 6-7 times dipping yarn according to target the desired color. Once completed, the threads that he weaves itself, by means gedogan or Walida. Darni make appropriate motifs or balo woven heart desires. Usually derived from the memory of some balo then he modified himself. Motifs and color weaving made ​​simple, but gives the impression of elegance.

Because in weaving with Walida, artificial cloth Darni only has a width of 60 cm, with a length of 4 meters for each strand. Walida or gedogan is a traditional loom behind legs. Of the two pieces cloth that can be made of two pieces of sarong. Within a month he can weave up to 8 meters. (sri)