Fashion and fancy sometimes requires the dyer of ostrich feathers
to dye upon one feather two, or even three contrasting colors, or
different shades of the same color, that is, the tips of the feathers
in another color or shade than that of the lower part of the feather.
Generally in these combinations the tip is dyed the lighter color or
shade, and the lower part considerably deeper or in a heavier color.
Very popular combinations are: the tip light blue and the bottom
brown, the tip rose and the lower part bordeaux, the tip light orange
or dark yellow and the lower part garnet brown, tip rose with olive
bottom part, or even three colors, such as the tip rose, the part
below it medium olive green, and the lowest part deep violet. That
such combinations are very handsome cannot be asserted; but fashion
dictates, and fancy sometimes prefers oddity to beauty. More rational
are at any rate the ombrées, or combinations of two or three shades of
the same color upon one feather. The operation is the same for both
styles; but contrasts are generally dyed only upon single feathers,
while ombrées, being in greater demand, are dyed by strings or even in
greater lots. The feathers being scoured and rinsed as usual, are first
dyed wholly in the lightest color or shade to be produced, according
to recipe, say light blue for the tip, and dried. Then wrap the top,
as far as it is to be light blue, in paper (some dyers use for this
purpose oiled or waxed paper) and tie the paper firmly, but not so hard
as to injure the feather, with a string, not so loosely as to allow
the paper envelope to slip out of place during the manipulation. Then,
holding the feathers by the top, dip them into the boiling hot bath
for the other color, or shade, to be dyed, but only so deep that the
paper just touches the surface of the dye-liquid. This method is the
safest for learners or new beginners. For more experienced workers it
is unnecessary to use the paper wrapping; they simply first dye the
light bottom shade, dry or not, according to the characters of the two
colors (for shadings, half-dry feathers, that is, drained and squeezed
out, are rather preferable), and loosely hold them in the bath for the
second color, or deeper shade. They have it thereby in their power to
effect a more gradual transition from one color or shade to the other.
As the color becomes deeper, the longer the feather is immersed in the
bath, it is plain that the dyer can easily produce upon one feather a
complete graduated scale of shades. Each time, after a shade has been
dyed to the required depth, the feathers are rinsed in cold water and
some more dyestuff solution added to the bath. These additions require
good judgment, because too much dyestuff added would cause an abrupt,
dull contrast instead of a desirable gradual shaking off, or transition
from one shade to the other. There ought only a little more dyestuff
be added each time, than has been absorbed from the bath by dyeing the
preceding shade. If paper wrappings are used, they must naturally be
untied for rinsing and replaced by longer pieces before entering the
bath for the following darker shade. After rinsing the feathers must
always be well squeezed out. If two colors are to be dyed, for instance
light blue tip with brown lower part, dye first the whole feather light
blue, rinse, dry, tie up the tip in paper, and dye the lower half brown.
It needs not to be mentioned that for dyeing two or three contrasting
colors upon one feather only such dyes must be chosen as can serve
for bottoming and topping one another without materially altering the
character of the topping color.