Indigo Dyeing

At the farm we used dried harvested indigo leaves to dye cloth. I used some thin cotton as the thinner the fabric the more vibrant the colour.

We used 150g of dried leaves with 3l of water on a moderately high heat for 10 minutes.

We then strained the leaves through a cloth and threw out the water. We repeated this process three more times, but adding 25g of sodium hydroxide and 25g of hydro sulphate and saving the water each time.

We then submerged the fabric in the dye, pulling it out to oxidise in the air and then putting back in the dye. You need to repeat the process at least three times to get a strong colour, but can keep going if you want to achieve more depth. Although I have used indigo before, I haven’t been involved in the preparation and it is amazing to see it through from plant to fabric.