My next adventure with natural dyeing was Indigo. My favourite colour is blue, so I was keen to get as much into the dye bath as possible.
This time I was using a dye kit. Indigo dyeing kits are easy to find on Amazon, or textile art suppliers, so I thought I'd give it a go. The kit comes with all the powders you need, as well as some instructions, gloves, rubber bands and pieces of wood to allow you to try out some shibori techniques (folding and tying the fabric to create patterns).
The good thing about indigo dyeing is that you don't need to mordant the fabric first, in order for the dye to bind with the fabric, although it is a good idea to soak it in water first. This helps you to get a more even colour. You can see in my bucket some of the fabric is bound with rubber bands, in hopes that I get some nice patterns.
While the fabric was soaking I got the indigo vat ready, which basically involves emptying the sachets from the box into the water and giving it a stir. Unfortunately, my bucket wasn't big enough, so I just used half of everything. I didn't measure, just guessed it. The fabric was then dipped in the dye. Some I left for just 5 minutes and some for up to half an hour.
When you take the fabric out of the dye bath, it comes out a lime green kind of colour, then as you hang it out to dry, the oxygen in the air turns it blue. This happens pretty quickly, and I found it fascinating to watch.
I used a real mixture of fabrics including some prints, mainly from old clothes. I love to keep fabric from some of my old clothes, as I love the patterns and I cannot bear to get rid of them. I always plan to use them for something, but have rarely found much use for them. So now was the time.
If you decide to have a go at Indigo dyeing or any other dyeing, always make sure that you use different containers and utensils than those that you use for food preparation. Just because something is natural, doesn't mean it's safe to consume. Also, make sure you put gloves on. I used the gloves in the dye kit box, but they were quite thin, so I ended up with blue hands! Next time I'll be using rubber gloves.
I also put some threads into the vat, as I love dyeing threads and fabric at the same time to get them to match. I have quite a pile of different blue scraps now, and I didn't have a clue what I would do with them, then it suddenly hit me. A kantha quilt would be the perfect project. I love running stitch, and a kantha quilt would look lovely in our bedroom. I'll probably need to do some more dyeing first and I know it will take me quite some time (so don't expect to see any pictures just yet!), but I'm sure it will be worth it.
To read about my next project, please click here: Reticello Design (claireharveyembroidery.com)