persicaria tinctoria or Japanese Indigo, growing at our “bit of earth” in Central Vermont
A bundle of indigo, waiting to have the leaves stripped from the stems. Early this morning. It was 45 degrees! I wore woolen socks with my gardening clogs!
Here you can see the blue pigment where one of the leaves was bruised.
I could not resist stripping the leaves outdoors on the picnic table in the September sunshine. Piping hot Darjeeling in my thermos.
One pound of indigo leaves and fresh water blended together. Ready for one pound of fabric!
The pre-soaked raw silk, after three alternating dips in the dye pot and rests in the air…time for a soapy rinse. That color just blows my mind.
After rinsing and hanging to dry in the woodshed, the color has subdued, but is still delicious!
Due to supply chain issues, I was unable to get a fresh package of Spectralite, something I use when I dye with indigo in a heated bath. Today’s new-to-me method was a cinch and I love the results.
There is much to know about dyeing fabric. There are so many beautiful books on store shelves these days, and the internet has plenty of information too. But the more I learn, the more I realize I don’t know!
Protein fibers (wool, silk, etc.) and cellulose fibers (cotton, linen, hemp, etc.) require different preparations before dyeing…different scours, mordants, baths and rinses. There is so much to keep track of that most dyers keep notebooks filled with their choices. (You can see a peek at mine, here) I’ve been a bit reticent this summer to do a lot of dyeing, because sadly, it does require a good bit of rinsing with fresh water and I worry about the drought conditions we are in. Recently we have had a bit of rain (tho not really enough), so I went ahead with a few projects.
One of the joys of my life is watching the magic as dye stuffs we have grown in the ground here at our “bit of earth” turns plain white fabric into colorful testaments to Mother Nature.
May each of you find joy and hope amidst this long weekend as summer slips into autumn. Drop a note in the comments below…will you picnic? Will you hike? Will you read, bake, visit, volunteer…? Let us know! xo