Study on Dyeing Properties and Color Characteristics of Wool Fabrics Dyed with Geranium caespitosum L. Extract—A New Natural Yellow Dye

Natural dyes play an important role in sustainable dyeing processes. However, natural yellow dyes with good performance are rare. Traditional natural yellow dyes have issues, such as a narrow color range and poor light fastness. In this paper, a new natural yellow dye was extracted from a low-cost herb Geranium caespitosum L. (G. caespitosum). In addition, the dye composition was analyzed using UV-visible spectroscopy. The dyeing process of G. caespitosum dye on wool fabrics was optimized using single-factor experiments. Standard fastness tests were conducted to evaluate the sunlight, washing, and rubbing fastness of the dyed fabrics. The color characteristics and color gamut range of the dyed fabrics were evaluated. The obtained colors were compared and assessed with Pantone Matching Systems and Chinese traditional colors. The results showed that phenolic acids and flavonoids were present in the G. caespitosum dye solution as yellow dye compounds. The best dyeing process for wool fabrics was meta-mordanting. The dyed fabrics were bright yellow at 60 °C and golden yellow at 90 °C. All the obtained colors were in the yellow-red range. According to the ISO color fastness standards, wool fabrics dyed with G. caespitosum dye had good color fastness ratings, particularly sunlight fastness. Therefore, G. caespitosum dye is a promising natural yellow dye that can be used for wool fabric dyeing. It has advantages over other known natural yellow dyes and has certain application value.