Preparation of indigo-dyed cotton denim fabrics and garments

Abstract

Disclosed herein is the preparation of indigo-dyed cotton denim fabrics suitable for use in making cotton denim garments and other denim articles. These indigo-dyed fabrics are prepared from cotton warp yarn which has been pre-treated with an emulsion copolymer prior to being contacted with an aqueous dye liquor comprising a dispersion of an indigo dyestuff. Such copolymer-treated cotton warp yarn can be woven or knitted into cotton denim griege fabrics along with untreated cotton weft yarn. Such griege denim fabric can then be indigo-dyed using the aqueous dye liquor. Alternatively, the emulsion copolymer-treated cotton warp yarn can be indigo-dyed by contact with the aqueous dye liquor before this warp yarn is incorporated into denim fabric along with the untreated cotton weft yarn. The cotton denim fabric produced by either method has the appearance of conventional ring-dyed indigo fabrics.

1 . A method for preparing indigo-dyed denim fabric, which method comprises:
 A) preparing emulsion copolymer-treated warp yarn by contacting cotton yarn with an emulsion copolymer and thereafter curing said copolymer to adhere said copolymer to the warp yarn;   B) weaving or knitting said emulsion copolymer-treated cotton warp yarn into denim fabric along with untreated cotton yarn as the weft yarn to thereby prepare griege denim fabric having emulsion copolymer-treated cotton warp yarn in the warp direction only; and thereafter   C) contacting said griege denim fabric with an aqueous dispersion of an indigo dyestuff material under conditions sufficient to preferentially color the outer cross-sectional portions of said emulsion copolymer-treated warp yarn to a greater extent than said indigo dyestuff material colors the outer cross-sectional portions of said untreated cotton weft yarn, to thereby provide indigo-dyed denim fabric having a non-uniformly colored appearance.   
     
     
         2 . The method according to  claim 1  which comprises an additional Step D) of scouring said non-uniformly colored indigo-dyed denim fabric to preferentially remove indigo dye material from the untreated cotton weft yarn within said fabric. 
     
     
         3 . A method for preparing indigo-dyed denim fabric, which method comprises:
 A) preparing emulsion copolymer-treated warp yarn by contacting cotton yarn with an emulsion copolymer and thereafter curing said copolymer to adhere said copolymer to the warp yarn;   B) contacting said emulsion copolymer-treated warp yarn with an aqueous dispersion of an indigo dyestuff material under conditions sufficient to color the outer cross-sectional portions of said emulsion copolymer-treated warp yarn; and   C) weaving or knitting said emulsion copolymer-treated, colored warp yarn into denim fabric along with untreated cotton yarn as the weft yarn to thereby prepare denim fabric having emulsion copolymer-treated, colored warp yarn in the warp direction only, to thereby provide indigo-dyed denim fabric having a non-uniformly colored appearance.   
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1  wherein said non-uniformly colored indigo-dyed denim fabric is subjected to further dyeing by contacting said fabric with an additional dyestuff material of the indigo, vat, cationic, azoic, napthol, reactive, direct, sulfur, mordant, disperse or acid type. 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 1  wherein said cotton warp yarn is emulsion copolymer-treated in a sizing machine, a rope dyeing machine, a slasher dyeing machine or a package dyeing machine. 
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the emulsion copolymer which is used to treat said cotton warp yarn is, prior to dilution in a yarn treatment bath, in the form of an emulsion having a solids content of from 40 wt % to 65 wt %, and a pH of from 3 to 7. 
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the emulsion copolymer which is used to treat said cotton warp yarn is, prior to contact with said yarn, diluted with water to form a yarn treatment bath having a solids content of from 2.0 wt % to 10 wt %. 
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 7  wherein said cotton warp yarn is contacted with said treatment bath at a temperature of 45° C. to 60° C. and is then cured at a temperature of 120° C. to 150° C. 
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the emulsion copolymer is selected from vinyl ester-based, acrylic-based, styrene/acrylic-based or styrene/butadiene-based emulsion copolymers. 
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the emulsion copolymer comprises a vinyl ester-based copolymer selected from vinyl acetate-ethylene copolymers, vinyl acetate-vinyl versatate copolymers; vinyl acetate-acrylic copolymers, and combinations of said copolymer types, preferably a vinyl acetate-ethylene copolymer comprising from 60 wt % to 95 wt % of vinyl acetate and from 5 wt % to 40 wt % of ethylene, based on total monomers therein. 
     
     
         11 . The method of of  claim 1  wherein the emulsion copolymer comprises an acrylic emulsion copolymer which comprises at least two different types of (meth)acrylate co-monomers preferably ethyl acrylate and butyl acrylate co-monomers. 
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the emulsion copolymer comprises from 0.1 wt % to 10 wt %, based on total monomers in the copolymer, of one or more ethylenically unsaturated cross-linking co-monomers having at least one amide, epoxy, or alkoxysilane group. 
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the emulsion copolymer comprises from 0.1 wt % to 10 wt %, based on total monomers in the copolymer, of one of more multifunctional external cross-linking co-monomers selected from diallyl adipate, triallyl cyanurate, butanediol diacrylate, allyl methacrylate, and combinations of said cross-linking co-monomers. 
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the contacting is conducted with an aqueous dye liquor having a pH of 9 to less than 12 and comprising an amount of indigo dyestuff material sufficient to provide 15% to 20% owg of dye on fabric. 
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 1  wherein said indigo-dyed denim fabric is subjected to a further washing step which removes a portion of dye from said dyed denim fabric. 
     
     
         16 . Indigo-dyed cotton denim fabric prepared according to the method of  claim 1 . 
     
     
         17 . Indigo-dyed cotton denim fabric comprising a plurality of cotton warp yarns and a plurality of cotton weft yarns, said cotton warp yarns being treated with a cellulose reactive emulsion copolymer and then contacted with an aqueous dispersion of an indigo dyestuff material under conditions sufficient to color the outer cross-sectional portions of said emulsion copolymer-treated cotton warp yarns; and said cotton weft yarns being untreated prior to optional contact of said cotton weft yarns with an aqueous dispersion of indigo dyestuff material. 
     
     
         18 . (canceled) 
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 3  wherein the emulsion copolymer is selected from vinyl ester-based, acrylic-based, styrene/acrylic-based or styrene/butadiene-based emulsion copolymers. 
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 3  wherein the emulsion copolymer comprises a vinyl ester-based copolymer selected from vinyl acetate-ethylene copolymers, vinyl acetate-vinyl versatate copolymers; vinyl acetate-acrylic copolymers, and combinations of said copolymer types, preferably a vinyl acetate-ethylene copolymer comprising from 60 wt % to 95 wt % of vinyl acetate and from 5 wt % to 40 wt % of ethylene, based on total monomers therein. 
     
     
         21 . The method of  claim 3  wherein the emulsion copolymer comprises an acrylic emulsion copolymer which comprises at least two different types of (meth)acrylate co-monomers preferably ethyl acrylate and butyl acrylate co-monomers. 
     
     
         22 . The method of  claim 3  wherein the emulsion copolymer comprises from 0.1 wt % to 10 wt %, based on total monomers in the copolymer, of one or more ethylenically unsaturated cross-linking co-monomers having at least one amide, epoxy, or alkoxysilane group. 
     
     
         23 . The method of  claim 3  wherein the emulsion copolymer comprises from 0.1 wt % to 10 wt %, based on total monomers in the copolymer, of one of more multifunctional external cross-linking co-monomers selected from diallyl adipate, triallyl cyanurate, butanediol diacrylate, allyl methacrylate, and combinations of said cross-linking co-monomers. 
     
     
         24 . The method of  claim 3  wherein the contacting is conducted with an aqueous dye liquor having a pH of 9 to less than 12 and comprising an amount of indigo dyestuff material sufficient to provide 15% to 20% owg of dye on fabric. 
     
     
         25 . The method of  claim 3  wherein said indigo-dyed denim fabric is subjected to a further washing step which removes a portion of dye from said dyed denim fabric. 
     
     
         26 . Indigo-dyed cotton denim fabric prepared according to the method of  claim 3 .