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Tuesday 2 September 2014

Messing about with Indigo ...

I've spent a glorious day messing about with an Indigo vat and a pile of fabrics that I dyed last year. 
Indigo is marvellous stuff, the speed with which it dyes fabric is a complete contrast to the slow and steady process used with most other natural dyes.



I had a play with some of last years dyed fabric: Golden rod, Apple, Rhubarb, Avocado and Walnut... and was pretty pleased with the various shades of blue achieved ...  




A few of the fabrics have an interesting mottled effect which is both irritating and quite exciting. I do find "happy accidents" quite thrilling, however I get more pleasure from mastering a technique and the knowledge that I can replicate it ...  more work with Indigo is required before I adorn a book with these.
If, like me, you are too lazy to: grow your own indigo, ferment a vat of urine etc ... I highly recommend buying a kit from The Mulberry Dyer. She really is an expert and her kits are brilliant!