A little beech bark dyes slate color set with
copperas. Hickory bark and bay leaves dye yellow set with chamber lye;
bamboo dyes turkey red, set color wid copperas. Pine straw dyes purple,
set color with chamber lye. To dye cloth brown we would take de cloth an
put it in the water where leather had been tanned an let it soak then
set the color with apple vinegar. An we dyed blue wid indigo an set the
color wid alum.
We wo' draws made out of termestic that come down longer than our
dresses an we wo' seven petticoats in the winter wid sleeves in dem
petticoats in the winter an the boys wo' big ol' long shirts. They didn'
know nothin bout no britches till they was great big, jus' wen' roun' in
dey shirttails. An we all wo' shoes cause my pa made shoes.
Master taught pa to make shoes an the way he done, they killed a cow an
took the hide an tanned it. The way they tanned it was to take red oak
bark and put in vats made somethin' like troughs that held water. Firs'
he would put in a layer of leather an a layer of oak ashes an a layer of
leather an a layer of oak ashes till he got it all in an cover with
water. After that he let it soak till the hair come off the hide. Then
he would take the hide out an it was ready for tannin'.
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