Indigo Dyeing (natural dyeing in general)

[bluesville]

anyone into indigo or natural dyeing?

Right now i'm experimenting on creating shades of color using indigo and other natural dyes. Recently I'm more focused in the magical shades of indigo and use natural indigo from Indigofera Tinctoria which I sourced from East Java. This kind of indigo gives more of a lightly shade of blue compared to the natural indigo from say polygonum tinctorium (which is widely used in Japan and parts of China)

The indigo, they're sold in paste-like form

in order to use that paste, the paste should be mixed first with some amount of water and then added to that mix, a hydrosulfide to make a chemical reduction. After a while, the mixed liquid will turn to greenish yellow, which basically says it's ready to use.

Nest, let's try to dip some clothes to the vat. In these experiment we use a handweaved linen made with a traditional loom.

you can see the linen turning greenish color

after it hits the oxygen it suddenly turns blue! Now i understand why people of the olden days use to said indigo is a magical dye.

in this picture you can still see the difference between shades of blue and greenish blue. This is mostly because some part of the clothes exposed earlier to air immediately turning blue, while there are parts that are just recently exposed to air, so it's still has that greenish color from the vat.

drying out the linen

[bluesville]

The shirt above is also dyed in indigo, but since this dye gives more of a light blue, then I experimented with another dye to give it more of a dark blue shades.

After 4 times of indigo dipping, I use some wood extract to make it darker. This is the end result of that shirt

close up

And here's the linen after 2x dipping

[bluesville]

I'm still experimenting on how to make darker shades of blue which we can see in 45rpm or kapitals product which claims on using natural indigo. But maybe it's because the characteristics of the dye itself. I was told that the japanese indigo (polygonum tinc) gives more of that darker shade than the one I'm using (indigofera tinc).

I once tried dyeing a 100% cotton fabric with 15x dipping. But still the outcome couldn't reach the dark shades that I want.

Btw, I'm planning on doing a small sample of indigo dyed tees next week, as well as other tee color such as khaki and olive, all from natural dyes.

[lymbers]

nice, great work... cant wait for more experiment...

[mago_san_2d_god]

subscribed, seems like this thread will turn out very interesting.

would love to make myself some indigo dyed scarves

[lenn]

this thread has potential. i've been wanting to experiment with dying apparel for some time now (thinking to start with woad) but since i don't have a garden or anything at the moment, i can't. however, i just bought a house that will be ready early 2012 and it has a garden, so i'll start experimenting then

[madstaxbro]

I found a PDF guide like this a long time ago and tried it myself on some linen trousers, I don't know whether I extracted the pigment too crudely or aired them out wrong but they ended up mostly greenish and yellow, some parts blue so I gave up.

But it's nice to see you were successful

[ringring]

I'm still experimenting on how to make darker shades of blue which we can see in 45rpm or kapitals product which claims on using natural indigo. But maybe it's because the characteristics of the dye itself. I was told that the japanese indigo (polygonum tinc) gives more of that darker shade than the one I'm using (indigofera tinc).

I once tried dyeing a 100% cotton fabric with 15x dipping. But still the outcome couldn't reach the dark shades that I want.

Btw, I'm planning on doing a small sample of indigo dyed tees next week, as well as other tee color such as khaki and olive, all from natural dyes.

Great posts. Many thanks for them.

Regarding the dark shades you'll find from Kapital or 45rpm, the denim at least will have been yarn dyed aka skein/hank. The yarns will have been twisted during the dye process to force the indigo deeper into the yarn.

Also historically, some products, will contain a mix of natural indigo and synthetic indigo. (I have no idea if Kap or 45 do this for their beautiful products).

Look forward to your next update.

[bluesville]

This is from our earlier experiments. It's pretty difficult to dye a wide fabric, say 2 meters wide. In order to make the the dye spread evenly across the fabric, it's important to make sure the fabric doesn't fold.

as you can see in the pic above, there is some area with different shades and the indigo isn't spreading evenly. It's mainly due to the fabric being folded when they're dipped into the medium (we use a 1,5 half meter tall plastic barrel with approx half meter diameter). The barrel isn't big enough for the fabric, so they're forced to fold inside. Usually the folded area in a fabric won't absorb the dye nicely, thus the color isn't distributed nicely. So if you guys want to dip some wide fabric, it's better to search for a wide medium, or better, use your pool/jacuzzi for it

(some batik dyers in Java are actually using a small pond for fabric dyeing)

ringring

thanks for the explanation. I'm also planning to dye from the yarn state and right now I'm still searching for a master weaver to weave my dyed yarn in the future

I also luckliy got my hands on the beautiful indigo from Seiwa (i think it's a subsidiary from Japan Blue). Its pretty expensive ($20 something for 10g indigo - compare to my source, $5 for 1 kilo), but it seems of a very high quality. Maybe i'll try to incorporate them in my next dyeing session.

[narutofan]

very appropriate username!

does the dye require hot water to react?

[bluesville]

narutofan36

not really, it's ambient temperature which is rather warm (32' -35' celc) here. Other dyer like Woad inc. uses hot water technique and I tried this technique and found little difference.

anyway, did an overdye experiment with a pair of denim today. It was a gift and I'd never wore it before because of its ugly color and finish. It was light blue stone washed HnM jeans. So i just threw it in indigo and then woods extract without any expectations.

tada! it came out dark grey :eek: with some blue cast and brown spot here and there.

the patch goes black...

i forgot to take pictures before it's overdyed, shame.

[lance]

Great post and wonderful success, bluesville. And, interesting comment by ringring. I too have tried to dye cloth with natural indigo but never achieved the dark hues I wanted. I never realized that dyeing the yarn and twisting it would drive the dye deeper. Maybe next I'll try twisting the cloth more forcefully to see if that has any effect since multiple dips don't seem to be the answer.

[dkatz]

FYI- some of this topic (on natural dyeing) has already been covered in the Sunrise muddyed jeans/On mud dying in general .

[ringring]

This is from our earlier experiments. It's pretty difficult to dye a wide fabric, say 2 meters wide. In order to make the the dye spread evenly across the fabric, it's important to make sure the fabric doesn't fold.

as you can see in the pic above, there is some area with different shades and the indigo isn't spreading evenly. It's mainly due to the fabric being folded when they're dipped into the medium (we use a 1,5 half meter tall plastic barrel with approx half meter diameter). The barrel isn't big enough for the fabric, so they're forced to fold inside. Usually the folded area in a fabric won't absorb the dye nicely, thus the color isn't distributed nicely. So if you guys want to dip some wide fabric, it's better to search for a wide medium, or better, use your pool/jacuzzi for it

(some batik dyers in Java are actually using a small pond for fabric dyeing)

ringring

thanks for the explanation. I'm also planning to dye from the yarn state and right now I'm still searching for a master weaver to weave my dyed yarn in the future

I also luckliy got my hands on the beautiful indigo from Seiwa (i think it's a subsidiary from Japan Blue). Its pretty expensive ($20 something for 10g indigo - compare to my source, $5 for 1 kilo), but it seems of a very high quality. Maybe i'll try to incorporate them in my next dyeing session.

If it's any consolation, piece dyeing industrially is also fraught with un-eveness

[lance]

http://www.aurorasilk.com/ Cheryl is a master dyer and has sold me indigo dye and I've bought some of her hand loomed hemp. Next I'll try the indigo from El Salvador. She also sells yarn so it may be a good source, depending on what type of yarn you want to use. Then too, she may be able to special order or loom what you want.

[dnm_dnmz]

How you get the indigo dyed?

since i'm planning to visit indonesia next month

hope i can get a good source of it

[fins]

Nice post..

How many times you dipping the jeans?

is the woods do you use for mix with indigo called "arang"?

I want to overdye some my old denim too.

[bluesville]

http://www.aurorasilk.com/ Cheryl is a master dyer and has sold me indigo dye and I've bought some of her hand loomed hemp. Next I'll try the indigo from El Salvador. She also sells yarn so it may be a good source, depending on what type of yarn you want to use. Then too, she may be able to special order or loom what you want.

Indigo from El Salvador is pretty good actually, i could get dark navy blue from 3 dips only. Common indigo species found in El Salvador are Indigofera suffructicosa and Indigofera arrecta (cmiiw), so they give different shade compared to what i have here (Indigofera tinctoria)

Some friend brought it only in small amount, so i cant work with it anymore

you can find some example of what an El Salvadorian indigo looks like

http://dulaar.blogspot.com/

Well, i can obtain some yarn from local craftsmen cheaper than what Aurora offers, so maybe i'll go local first.

dnm_dnmz

mainly from Flores and Jogja, some batiks craftsmen could sell em.

fins

3 times in indigo and 45 mins in woods. Its a mix of woods with tanin in it. I forgot whats in it, cause i just threw in different barks i found lying around in my backyard.

should i move my next posts on the thread dkatz mentioned?

[lance]

I say keep it here and keep it rollin. Thanks for the info - cloth to dye is my main hangup so your sources will be welcome. Man, these people are artists!

[ravennavaro]

Nice thread! Indonesia represent!

[devilish]

This thread has me inspired to get some natural indigo. I have dyed a few items over the years. Never used real indigo though.

When I first came to the U.S. I dyed a pale blue Trucker jacket red because Levis didn't make one. I have also overdyed quite a few pairs of jeans with both more blue and black.

About ten years or so ago I wore a pair of regular STF 501's that I had overdyed with black all the time. A designer from Levis spotted them one night and asked what I had done and liked the results which was kinda flattering.

[Farhad]

Great thread. Bill from tender posted some great pics of woad dying his jeans and T's last year which I loved as well.

Btw I am also finding it difficult to find some nicely loomed fabric at a reasonable price. I want to make some drapes for my room which I'm going to indigo dye. I live the vintage boro textiles but was too $$$.

Cheers!!!

[bluesville]

Hi guys, thanks for the appreciation

We're starting to dye a couple of tees todays adn continue our experiments on natural dyeing, to achieve great shades of color of course.

I learn much from Bill's post as well and my step of tee dyeing is similar to him.

First up, we clean the tee with hot water, not boiling water but just some hot water to ensure all the excess chemical in the fabric goes away.

checking the indigo

we have to get rid of those little blue spot floating in the surface, they're not useful anymore as a dye as they're already oxidized.

indigo goodness

time to dip dye our tees. This barrel can contain 2 tees without having them touching each other. We use a hanger and some random stick to keep them hanging

aandd, first dip is done, time to air our tees. notice the different shades of blue because they're oxidized differently in time.

some more pics

all of them started to get even colors

close up, notice there are some blue dots, this is maybe because of the tees is somewhat low quality they don't absorb the indigo nicely.

We learn from our previous experment that different fabric has different absorbing ability, meaning different fabric can result in different color even if they're applied in the same indigo vat.

overall we're pretty happy with the result. And hoping that we can start producing something for sale soon.

Other than indigo we also do other color, we just achieved a beautiful shades of grey from a mangosteen this evening and hoping to apply it to a shirt. I'll post the pics later.

you can see more detailed pics at our flickr http://www.flickr.com/photos/bluesville

[ringring]

Other than indigo we also do other color, we just achieved a beautiful shades of grey from a mangosteen this evening and hoping to apply it to a shirt. I'll post the pics later.

you can see more detailed pics at our flickr http://www.flickr.com/photos/bluesville

I'm greatly enjoying your posts and looking forward to seeing the results of the mangosteen dyeing.

I'm guessing the the tannins from the mangosteen skins are the active dyeing agent. Are you using anything else with them? eg. something with iron content to provide the black tones.

Will you also experiment on dyeing animal fibres, like silk?

Mangosteen's (Garcinia Mangostana) cousin, Asam Gelugur (Garcina Atroviridis) is used with turmeric, tamarind and a bit of alum for silk dyeing. All boiled up.

[bluesville]

I'm guessing the the tannins from the mangosteen skins are the active dyeing agent. Are you using anything else with them? eg. something with iron content to provide the black tones.

Will you also experiment on dyeing animal fibres, like silk?

Mangosteen's (Garcinia Mangostana) cousin, Asam Gelugur (Garcina Atroviridis) is used with turmeric, tamarind and a bit of alum for silk dyeing. All boiled up.

That's correct, but tanin concentration in Mangosteen is rather low, I found much greater tanin content in Terminalia catappa. It produces similar shade to South American Logwood. I used iron mordant before mangosteen bath to darken the color.

Very interesting ringring. Yes, Asam Gelugur is also known as Asam Jawa, and it is not very popular as dye because its main use is for spice and food coloring here. Definitely will try it someday.

I have some silk fabrics and wool yarn to dye out of curiosity, but my main focus is in linen and cotton.

[bluesville]

Great thread. Bill from tender posted some great pics of woad dying his jeans and T's last year which I loved as well.

Btw I am also finding it difficult to find some nicely loomed fabric at a reasonable price. I want to make some drapes for my room which I'm going to indigo dye. I live the vintage boro textiles but was too $$$.

Cheers!!!

Well, the time consumed in looming a piece of fabrics is extensive, no wonder the price hits the ceiling. You can find some loomed fabrics at reasonable price in many parts of Asia.

[Mich]

One of the most interesting threads as of late.

[ItsJustNC]

The shirt above is also dyed in indigo, but since this dye gives more of a light blue, then I experimented with another dye to give it more of a dark blue shades.

After 4 times of indigo dipping, I use some wood extract to make it darker. This is the end result of that shirt

close up

And here's the linen after 2x dipping

Hmm... Correct me if I'm wrong because the only knowledge i have about dyeing was from reading the home-made jeans thread, but i think dipping the fabrics in like 2 - 4 times isn't going to cut it.

Because if you were to check out the last few pages of the home-made jeans thread, this dude planning to make a pair of jeans from scratch actually mentioned rope dyeing his cotton yarn in an indigo vet 20-30 times... :confused:

close up, notice there are some blue dots, this is maybe because of the tees is somewhat low quality they don't absorb the indigo nicely.

I think the blue dots are actually from the indigo dye that hasn't fully dissolved and are just floating around the barrel. Maybe u would wanna try stirring it more thoroughly.?

Very interesting ringring. Yes, Asam Gelugur is also known as Asam Jawa, and it is not very popular as dye because its main use is for spice and food coloring here. Definitely will try it someday.

Since we are on the topic of Asam, i have another suggestion for you..! I'm familiar with the use of Asam as it is frequently used in my household(I am half Peranakan.) , and another ingredient comes to mind.

Bunga telang or the Clitoria ternatea. Peranakans frequently uses this flower as a form of food colouring for our desserts. It creates a nice indigo-ish shade of blue too..! just thought you might find it interesting.

Anyways.. +1 for your little project. I've subbed and can't wait to see more.!

[ringring]

That's correct, but tanin concentration in Mangosteen is rather low, I found much greater tanin content in Terminalia catappa. It produces similar shade to South American Logwood. I used iron mordant before mangosteen bath to darken the color.

Very interesting ringring. Yes, Asam Gelugur is also known as Asam Jawa, and it is not very popular as dye because its main use is for spice and food coloring here. Definitely will try it someday.

I have some silk fabrics and wool yarn to dye out of curiosity, but my main focus is in linen and cotton.

If it's any help, unripe Mangosteens may have a higher tannin content.

What part of Terminalia Catappa are you using? The fruit or also the bark? Always with an iron mordant?

Have you tried Terminalia Chebula as a dye? It's supposed to be particularly tannin rich.

I like the comparison with Logwood - I guess various members of the Terminalia family were the Logwood of Iran-Africa and right across India-China-Malaysia-Vietnam.

PS. I thought Asam Gelugur was different to Asam Jawa (Tamarind)?

.

[ringring]

Since we are on the topic of Asam, i have another suggestion for you..! I'm familiar with the use of Asam as it is frequently used in my household(I am half Peranakan.) , and another ingredient comes to mind.

Bunga telang or the Clitoria ternatea. Peranakans frequently uses this flower as a form of food colouring for our desserts. It creates a nice indigo-ish shade of blue too..! just thought you might find it interesting.

Nice to see the 'pussy pea' making an appearance

.