Indigo Dyed Fabric Washing

However that post just focused on the dyeing part.

Indigo dyed fabric washing.

For millennia this dye provided the only clear blue that there was for fabrics. Japanese are extremely fond of this hue and indigo dyeing in japan dates back to the 10th century. After you are done with block printing and dyeing with indigo dye then comes the most important aspect of washing which helps to remove the indigo dye from the block printed designs and make them. One of the reasons why indigo dyed garments require a wash before its first wear.

Allow the wash cycle to run but stop the washer before the rinse cycle begins. Put the indigo fabric in the washer when it is about half full. The only dye you need for your favorite washable fabrics containing natural fibers like cotton wool and silk as well as synthetics like nylon and rayon. You can help prevent crocking by setting indigo dye in fabric using a few simple household items.

In the first step the indigo is reduced changing it from blue. Step 1 set a washing machine to fill with cold water and add a capful of liquid delicate laundry detergent. Indigo is one of the oldest dye stuffs in the world. Thus it is hard to determine the colour on ropes.

Indigo dye is an organic compound with a distinctive blue color see indigo historically indigo was a natural dye extracted from the leaves of certain plants and this process was important economically because blue dyes were once rare. This amazing dyestuff naturally occurs in indigo containing plants of the tropical genus indigofera which grows in many countries as well as a less concentrated form in a plant called woad which is native to temperate europe. A large percentage of indigo dye produced today several thousand tons each year is synthetic it is the blue often associated with denim cloth and blue jeans. When it comes to indigo dyes even with the use of a fixative the dye will likely transfer but in my expert opinion it s still very much worth using a fixative on indigo garments that are.

Here is an interesting note about the process. I ve been wanting to dip my toe into the world of natural indigo shibori dyeing for a long time and my friend michelle and i finally got our acts together and spent a busy day at her farm in vermont folding twisting tying dunking and oxidizing like a couple of maniacs. The difficulty in indigo dyeing process is that the final look can be seen after fabric washing stoning. In japanese indigo dyeing is known as ai zome.

T his week my craft practice took a dive off the deep end into a big vat of indigo dye.