The work was very interesting and proved successful enough, at least as far as the dyeing went. After a few months some visiting reporter, in an article on Greenwich House and its industries, mentioned the dyeing, in a magazine, and stated that the colors resulting were not only beautiful but fast. Immediately I was bombarded with letters from all over the country, begging for information about permanent dyestuffs to be used for hand-woven textiles. Requests came from friends and acquaintances to help them in various side branches of the subject, such as feather dyeing, leather dyeing and staining, stencilling, tied and dyed work, and, above all, Batik. And it soon became a source of much interest to look up some old process of dyeing, originating perhaps in the East, perhaps among the ancient Egyptians, and to work it out with the best modern dyestuffs. Finally, my correspondence grew so burdensome that I arranged with the well-known New York magazine, _The Craftsman_, for a series of articles upon “Modern Dyestuffs and Dyeing Processes for the Use of Craftsmen”; and from these articles the present book is a natural result. It is hoped that it will prove useful, not only for individuals who are trying, under considerable difficulties, to get satisfactory results, by means of long-abandoned processes, upon textile materials of many sorts and kinds, but also for teachers of art in our public as well as private schools. Much attention is being given now to training the hands of children in various drawing and decorating and weaving processes. But the modern dyestuffs give a much greater opportunity to train their eyes to a sense of color and to its beauties, as well as giving them an introduction into an art which can be used at home for most useful as well as beautiful purposes. My hearty thanks are due to many friends, notably, to Mr. Philip Clarkson, head chemist of H. A. Metz & Co., to Dr. Ludwig, of the Cassella Color Co., and to many other expert dyeing chemists, who have most kindly helped me with advice and information about many widely varying branches of the subject. Also to many of my craftsman friends, notably Mrs. C. L. Banks, of Bridgeport, Conn., and Mrs. Charlotte Busck, of this city, who have been of the greatest assistance in working out many of the problems involved in stencilling and Batik; and to Miss Mary Grey, of Hackettstown, N. J., who has kindly allowed me to insert an illustration of some of her interesting and well-designed tied work (Fig. 7). It is my earnest hope that the information contained in this book may encourage and assist other craftsmen throughout the country to come up to the high standard of these skilled textile workers. C. E. P. CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION