|
Over the span of two days we dove into the magical world of the ancient dye Indigo along with Rachel from Running River Organics. The class was such an incredible learning experience for everyone involved! Did you know True Indigo is a legume and has been naturalized to tropical and temperate Asia as well as Africa? Also its native habitat is unknown since it has been in cultivation worldwide for centuries! Photos by Kisa Hues
Indigo is a shrub and may be a annual, biennial or perennial depending on the climate it is grown. It has light great pinnate leaves and pink flowers. The dye is obtained from the processing of the leaves. They are soaked in water and fermented in order to convert the plant to the blue dye. Making a indigo vat is not as difficult as it my seem. The recipe that Rachel uses is based off of Michel Garcia's 1-2-3 Vat which relies on a mineral alkali and a natural reducing agent. A process knows as "reduction" removes excess oxygen liberating the dye molecule and allows it to attach to the fibers and bond. Stay tuned and sign up for our newsletter to learn more about upcoming workshops and other natural dye events!
2 Comments
12/24/2017 12:10:10 am
This post reminds me of the time when we were instructed by our art teacher to do a creative project in art class. When most of my classmates chose to paint in a blank canvass, I went on to seek another type of project. This was the time when dying a piece of cloth popped into my head. With only a few materials at hand, I started dying my white clothes, following the instructions indicated at the internet post I've searched earlier. 12/25/2018 03:17:06 pm
Workshops are really a great way to learn something new. I, personally, believe that life is an endless journey of improving one's self. There is really no limit to what we can accomplish. We humans are given the gift of knowledge and it is in my belief that we should continue to harness this gift. We should continue to challenge ourselves and pursue greater things. Having knowledge will eventually give us confidence to do the things that we want to do in life. Leave a Reply. |
Author"I find joy in creating with natural materials and working with plants, bringing a bit of nature into the home through textiles." Archives
June 2022
CategoriesAuthor"I find the alchemy of cooking color into cloth with plants so magical and I hope you leave here feeling inspired to start your own dye journey!" |
RSS Feed