A textile substrate is patterned by the selective application of various dyes to the substrate surface in a way that provides desirable, visually apparent enhancements in the area of pattern detail, definition, and color range, through the use of a novel patterning system, including the application of various chemical agents, that makes such enhancements possible. In one embodiment, the patterning system described herein is capable of producing pile-faced textile substrates, useful as floor coverings, that exhibit a unique combination of desirable pattern attributes that have been identified and measured using novel techniques specifically developed for these substrates and pattern attributes.