Here is a link to a lovely video that goes from seed to garment.
You will meet the growers and dyers who are keeping a centuries old tradition alive – Enjoy – the link is only good until September 29th 2018!
Tag: Persicaria tinctoria
Fresh Leaf Indigo Dyeing – Salt Method
Here is a link to a very interesting video about Fresh Leaf Indigo Dyeing with Japanese Indigo (Persicaria tinctoria) using salt!
And here’s how I do it!
The Steps!
1) Scour Silk Scarves
2) Persicaria tinctoria ready for harvest
3) Harvested indigo being kept in a bucket with water
4) Fill a 5 qt stainless steel bowl with leaves
5) Kosher Salt Fine Flake
6) Add 3 tablespoons salt to your leaves
7) Knead the leaves have until they begin to shrink and produce liquid
8) Add the scarves and begin to knead the leaves and scarves together
9) Add more leaves if needed to cover scarves, Check scarves to be sure there are no white spots.
10) The longer you knead the darker the blue
11) Solid Blue – Hanging to dry after rinsing, washing and rinsing again
12) Borders dyed – Hanging to dry after rinsing, washing and rinsing again
Fresh Leaf Indigo Dyeing
Here is a video about Indigo Dyeing using the Fresh Leaves from my Garden!!
I love it when dreams come true! Growing my own indigo and then dyeing with it has been a long-held dream of mine. That dream finally came true right here in Greenville, SC.
My tiny patch of indigo growing on my front lawn has produced beautiful, healthy plants high in indicatin.
The seeds, Japanese Indigo – Polygonum tinctorium also called Persicaria tinctoria, came from Rowland Ricketts indigo fields in Indiana.
Jenny Balfour-Paul, author of Deeper than Indigo, kindly shared the dyeing method with me.
My next dream? An entire field of Indigo!
Madderlane 