INDIGO DYES

There are many ways to use indigo in dying clothing, tea towels, sheets. Be creative, resourceful and have fun experimenting with new techniques. It’s always a surprise at the end, and the results are fascinating.

Photography and article by HEATHER LAND

Indigo comes from the leaves of Indigofera tinctoria. It thrives in the hot humidity of the tropics in India, El Salvador, Vietnam as well as in the hills of Tennessee. The leaves are fermented in water for several days until it turns yellow where it left to dry in the air to oxidize and coagulate into blue indigo.
Dip dying in a vat of indigo is an age old art. It is chemistry. It is a process. It has to be balanced. It cannot be rushed, but it can be greatly enjoyed.
The depth of color will depend on the strength of the dye. Synthetic indigo can give a deep color in just one dip, while natural powders and many pre-reduced natural granules take as many as 5 dips to reach a desired deep shade. Natural dyes naturally fade during initial wash and will continue to fade over time.

There are many great resources online:
• dearhandmadelife.com has a great DIY post
• botanicalcolors.com uses dye master Michel Garcia’s techniques to make an easy organic vat
• maiwablog.com uses fruit mash in place of fructose
• medium.com has a great post about the history of indigo

The SHIBORI METHOD is a Japanese practice of folding and banding to create various patterns. Let yourself get creative and resourceful and try dipping with various wood blocks or leaves banded into your folds.
For every 5 gallon vat of indigo, you can dye around 2.5 lbs of fabric. It has become a summer tradition for me to make a vat and dip a few dozen tea towels, while we are at the beach camping in the state park. One of my favorite towels was dipped with a dried palm leaf. It was completely experimental.

BLEACH DYES

Clean out the closet or pickup some pieces at the thrift store, grab a spray bottle, a bucket and a jug of bleach and watch the transformation. (Be sure to wear gloves and a mask! Straight bleach is very irritating to the sinus passages).