Dying gray overshirt

[newshirt]

I have some Chas. Childs Osnaburg and would like to dye it gray for an early-war Federal overshirt (for Missouri skirmishes and Wilson's Creek).

What dye do y'all recommend?

Also, are there any photographs of overshirts with elaborate hand-stitched flowers, leaves, vines, etc?

[Spinster]

Re: Dying gray overshirt

Are you asking for a period natural dye or a modern gray dye?

When it comes to naturals, cotton is a dye pig--it uses a lot for little result.

That lovely cream colored onasberg looks clean--but its full of spinning oils and weaving oils. These must be stripped out in order for the fibers to open enough to take dye. The easiest scour for an amateur dyer to obtain and use is on the laundry shelf--Oxyclean. In a large vessel that allows the fabric to float freely--and one that you will NOT use for food prep later on, use 5 scoops Oxyclean per pound of fabric. Boil several hours--the water will turn coffee colored and have a sickly sweet smell. Allow to cool, and empty where no animals can access the water. Wash the fabric in mild soap (not detergent) and hot water and rinse well.

Fill the pot again. Add 3 tablespoons per pound of fabric of aluminum acetate and boil, stiring frequently, for 2-3 hours. Allow to cool. Remove and rinse. You could also use copper sulfate.

Fill the pot again. Get a couple bushels of sumac leaves and bark. Simmer and soak to extract color. Pull out leaves, put in fabric(it should be wet). Simmer, turning frequently for a couple hours. Rinse well. Only wash this in soap, not detergent, or you'll strip the color out.

All this should be done outside, with gloves and mask.

Or, you can get some RIT. Its faster and less work, as long as you don't count the amount of time your spouse is mad because you didn't clean the machine out right after you used it to dye in. :tounge_sm

Heavily embrodiered smocks with handstitched leaves and vines are more of an ethnic thing, and more of an 18th century thing. Certainly findable in the mid-19th century, but not the norm in a battleshirt.

[Pvt_Sullivan]

Re: Dying gray overshirt

I have some Chas. Childs Osnaburg and would like to dye it gray for an early-war Federal overshirt (for Missouri skirmishes and Wilson's Creek).

Ray, before you run off and dye some perfectly good onsabrug that makes fine linings for jackets and other items as is... what research do you have indicating a grey cotton overshirt was ever used? Research I've done and seen makes me hold the opinion that most 'battleshirts' were made of a woolen fabric for durability. If you're looking for the "one of" item and are copying an original, have it. But I think you'd have a more authentic and lest frustrating result if you skipped the dying process went with a different fabric.