Abstract: The treatment of cellulosic fibre materials before or after dyeing or printing with direct or reactive dyestuffs is carried out with aqueous liquors which contain quaternized polyethers which are obtained by condensation of N-2-hydroxyalkylamines of the formula ##STR1## in which R.sub.1 and R.sub.2, independently of each other, denote hydrogen or a C.sub.1 -C.sub.4 -alkyl radical andR denotes a C.sub.1 -C.sub.18 -alkyl, cycloalkyl, aralkyl or aryl radical or one of the hydroxyalkyl groups ##STR2## with the proviso that the amount of N-2-hydroxyalkylamines in which R stands for a hydroxyalkyl group accounts for no more than 20 percent by weight of the hydroxyalkylamines used,if desired by co-condensation with polyols of the formulaA(OH).sub.n IIin whichA denotes a 2-, 3- or 4-valent aliphatic, cycloaliphatic, araliphatic or aromatic radical andn is a number from 2 to 4,and subsequent quaternization.

Abstract: Cellulosic materials, such as cotton fabrics, can be colored insitu by first treating the fabric with N-phenyldiethanolamine and a crosslinking agent for cellulose, such as dimethylol dihydroxyethyleneurea. After the fabric has been cured it is then colored by treating with sufficient concentrations of nitrous acid to form the colored nitroso derivative of the tertiary aromatic amine. The colors obtained are shades of green and yellow which are determined by: concentration of the N-phenyldiethanolamine; type of crosslinking agent; strength of the nitrous acid, and reaction times.