Ornamentation of textiles

Differential dyeing effects on textiles and films are produced by applying a resist to the textile or film before or during the dyeing operation and also, before the dyeing operation, applying in selected regions, a swelling agent for the textile or film, thereby modifying the effect of the resist in those regions of the area or areas treated or to be treated with the resist. The process is applicable to textiles of synthetic polymers such as polyamides, polymethanes, polyaminotriazoles, polyesteramides, polyacrylonitrile and copolymers thereof and of natural or regenerated protein materials, especially wool, in the form of woven, knitted and matted fabrics, stubbings, rovings, yarns and coated cloth and also to films. Specified resists are sulphur-containing organic compounds such as sulphurized phenols and naphthols and their substitution products, sulphonated products, metal-containing products, and condensation products with aldehydes or amino-aldehydic condensation products and other sulphonated bodies described in Specifications 552,015, 640,421 and 681,618, synthetic tanning agents such as those described in Specifications 375,160, 416,191 and 493,997, mono- or poly-isocyanates or -isothiocyanates and gaseous or wet chlorinating agents. Suitable swelling agents for synthetic polymer materials are phenol, cresols, resorcinol, zinc chloride, calcium chloride dissolved in methanol, monochloracetic acid and other swelling agents described in Specification 708,753, for proteinaceous materials are sodium bisulphite, urea, urea-chloracetic acid, phenol and lithium bromide solution and for polyacrylonitrile materials are zinc chloride and mixtures of chloracetic acid and nitromethane. Anionic dyestuffs are preferred although in certain cases basic dyestuffs may be employed, specified dyestuffs being those of the level dyeing acid, acid milling, chrome, direct, premetallized and solubilized vat classes, including fluorescent dyestuffs. Dyestuffs having different affinities for the material or for different areas of the treated material may be applied together or in succession. The materials may be predyed, preprinted or prebleached and may also be pretreated with fluorescent brightening agents. In the case of polyacrylonitrile materials, a cuprous ion mordant for the resist or for the dyestuff may also be applied. Mechanical effects may be applied as described in Specifications 759,595 and 759,625. Since the local application of the swelling agent also produ