If you are curious about indigo dyeing this blog post may encourage you to have a go! Here we take you through the stages of preparing the indigo dye vat and dyeing your first items with this magical, ancient dye. Dip you fabric, fibre or yarn, lift it into the air and watch as the […]
Tag Archives: Indigo Dyes
03
Jul
Jul
These exciting soluble indigo natural dyes are derived from fermented natural indigo and alkanet. The Turquoise Blue natural dye gives a good blue and at lower concentrations provides a fine teal green. The Forest Green, which also contains fermented pomegranate, produces a deep green. Just 10g will dye 100g of materials to the full colour […]
10
Jun
Jun
Shibori, the ancient Japanese technique of fabric folding and dyeing has been brought right up to date. Traditionally indigo was used to create patterning. However, using modern dyes, discharge agents and fabrics you can easily develop complex patterns. Tying and clamping, dyeing and discharging, re-dyeing and heat setting the fabric creates a new and visually […]
05
Jun
Jun
What are Natural Dyes? Natural dyes are derived from naturally occurring sources such as plants, minerals and invertebrates and used to add colour to textiles and paper. The dyes tend to fall into one of three types, mineral, substantive or adjective. The type of natural dye will determine if a mordant needs to be used. […]
03
Jun
Jun
These alternative indigo dye recipes are reproduced with the kind permission of Alison Daykin at Alison Yule Textiles. Find out more about indigo and how to set up a traditional indigo dye vat. Indigo Dye Vat using Yeast and Sugar Although indigo powder is blue, the indigo molecule does not produce its blue colour until […]
03
Jun
Jun
Here we include an Indigo Dye Recipe and a little about the history of this ancient dye. Indigo is probably the most widely used dyestuff of all time – indeed denim jean material is still coloured using indigo dye as it is extremely wash fast. It was used many centuries before the Christian era in the […]
15
May
May
What is a Mordant? The use of mordants for natural dyeing (“mordant” derived from the Latin word mordere, meaning “to bite”) has been a staple in textile production since ancient times, dating back thousands of years. A mordant links chemically with the fibre and creates attachment points which bond with the colourant from natural dyes […]
13
Jun
Jun
If you’ve never used dyes before, you may be concerned about their safety, especially when using them for large projects or in the classroom. How safe are Synthetic Dyes? The two most popular synthetic dyes include Acid dyes and Procion MX dyes. When correctly used, create a permanent bond with the fabric with excellent wash […]