Recently there has been a growing interest in the use of natural dyes in textile applications. Natural dyes can exhibit better biodegradability and generally have a higher compatibility with the environment. In this study, the colorants of clove were extracted with boiling water. Chitosan crosslinked cotton fabrics have been dyed with aqueous extract of clove and their dyeabilities on the fabrics were studied. Additionally the fastness to washing and light, and the effects on antimicrobial properties were also investigated. Cotton fabrics were treated with a crosslinking agent epichlorohydrin in the presence of chitosan to provide the cotton fabrics the dyeing properties of natural dye(clove) by the chemical linking of chitosan to the cellulose structure. This process was applied by means of the conventional mercerizing process. The chitosan finishing and durable press finishing of the cotton fabrics occurred simultaneously in the mercerization bath. The dyeability(K/S), which was obtained by CCM observation, remarkablely became increased when the crosslinked chitosan concentration was higher. The hue value indicated reddish yellow with increasing the crosslinked chitosan concentration. And the color fastness to washing and light was the almost the same. The chitosan treated cotton fabrics showed very high activities with almost 100% reduction.