We're finally ready to use our indigo dye vat! It's been a long journey to get here - first learning all about the source of indigo dye, its long history, and the process of dyeing with indigo. In Mixing the Indigo Dye Vat, we prepared the indigo dye vat, using the Jacquard Indigo Tie Dye Kit (Natural Dye Method) that is available from Dharma Trading, Amazon, and other sources. Now we're ready to dye fabric and fibers with indigo dye. This video shows the basics of dyeing with indigo. The video was filmed over a four-day period, with many dye projects completed during that time. By the fourth day, the color was almost gone, and the results were very pale.
Equipment
For this project you need a prepared indigo dye vat. We're using the dye from a kit that was mixed in a 5-gallon bucket with a sealable lid. Sealing protects the dye from oxidizing, and enables us to use the dye vat over a period of several days or weeks.
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| The indigo dye vat is sealed with a lid |
Some additional supplies include:
- Bucket of water for soaking and rinsing
- Tray to hold the dyed fabric as it oxidizes
- Paddle for stirring (should be long enough to stir the sediment that settles at the bottom of the dye vat, without submerging your hands)
- Latex gloves to protect your hands from turning blue
- Drop cloths to protect the work surfaces from being stained blue
FOR SAFETY: never use the same utensils for both dyeing and preparing food.
Preparing the Work Area
First gather supplies and prepare your work area. Indigo stains, so it is recommended to protect work surfaces with drop cloths.
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| The drop cloth protects the patio from being dyed blue |
I used two drop cloths – one for the dye area and one for the area where the fabric hangs to dry.
Preparing the Fabric
We have an assortment of fabric and fiber for dyeing.
- Cotton dish towels
- Silk scarf
- Linen and cotton fabric pieces
- Wool yarn
The fabric was scoured to remove impurities that might prevent the dye from bonding to the fiber, but there is no need for mordanting. Dyes that do not require mordanting are called substantive dyes. They are typically dyes with a high tannin level, such as walnut hulls, cochineal, lichen, and indigo.
You can weigh the fabric to get an idea of how long your dye vat will last. The kit dyes up to 15 pounds of fabric. However, you may want to dip the fabric multiple times to achieve deeper shades. This uses more dye, so 15 pounds is just a guideline. I decided I would keep dyeing until there was no color left. I was curious to see the range of colors produced.
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| Bucket of warm water for soaking prepared fabric |
To prepare the fabric for dyeing:
- Add warm water to a bucket.
- Soak the prepared fabric in water.
- Squeeze out excess water and air from the fabric before submerging into the dye.
Working with the Dye Vat
Keep in mind these guidelines when working with the dye vat:
- Store the vat at room temperature (in an area where the temperature remains between 68-85° F / 20-29°)
- Keep the vat as oxygen free as possible (try to not splash or stir vigorously)
- Remove any skin or bloom from the surface (or move it to the side)
- Don’t let the fabric drop to the bottom of the vat where dye sediment collects.
For Safety: Keep out of reach of children and animals. Always store the dye with the lid sealed.
Most literature describes the dye vat as being a yellow-green color. My dye vat seemed very blue, with only an occasional glint of yellow green in certain light.
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| The bloom that accumulates on top of the dye vat indicates oxydization |
The vat had a metallic looking skin over the surface, as well as a “bloom” or clump of bubbles on the surface. This is from oxidation. It was easily moved to the side, or scooped out of the dye vat.
Before Starting a Dye Session
You don't have to dye everything in one long dye session. You can break it up and dye one or more items in a series of dye sessions. About 20 minutes before a dye session:
- Stir the dye vat in one direction for a few minutes to redistribute the dye sediment.
- Reverse direction slowly at the end, as you draw the paddle out of the vat.
- Reseal the vat and let it rest while you prepare your dye project. This is a good time to soak your fabric.
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| Stir the dye vat in one direction to mix dye sediment before or after a dye session |
Ending a Dye Session
At the end of each dye session:
- Gently stir the vat, in a circular motion in one direction.
- Reverse direction slowly at the end, as you draw the paddle out of the vat.
- Reseal the vat and let it settle for at least an hour before using the vat again.
Dyeing with Indigo
The basic steps for dyeing:
- Remove the lid from the vat.
- Squeeze water and air out of the wet fabric.
- While squeezing, submerge the fabric into the dye vat and hold for a minute or two.
- Remove the fabric from the vat slowly, squeezing it just below the surface as you do.
- Set aside the fabric to oxidize.
- Either cover the dye vat or continue to the next piece.
- Once an item has oxidized you can either:
- Dip it again to achieve a darker shade, or
- Rinse the fabric, and hang it to dry.
Dyeing
On the first day, I dyed six cotton dish towels, using the basic steps. Two dish towels were dipped once, two were dipped twice, and three were dipped three times. First, squeeze excess water out of the fabric. While squeezing, slowly submerge the fabric into the dye vat, gently swished the fabric from side to side in the dye, just under the surface.
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| First dip - six cotton dish towels |
At first, I used thick rubber gloves for better coverage over my wrists and lower arms, but they were very cumbersome. Later I switched to the latex gloves that came with the kit when I realized I didn't need to hold the fabric very deep in the dye bath. The gloves barely covered my wrists, but were light and flexible and much easier to use. I wasn’t sure how long to keep the fabric in the vat, but I found that a minute or two per dip worked well. You can continue dipping the fabric until you get the color you want, keeping in mind that the color appears much darker when wet. When ready, slowly remove the fabric, squeezing out the excess dye.
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| Second dip - four cotton dish towels |
Then open up the fabric, exposing it to oxygen. Place the fabric in the tray. As oxygen hits the fabric, the color turns from yellow green to blue. This process is so exciting, and never gets old. First the vibrant green, then streaks of blue, and then full blue. Science, art, and magic!
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| Third dip - two cotton dish towels |
After about 20 minutes, rinse the fabric in water and hang it to dry. Or you can repeat these steps for additional dips. I dipped four of the dish towels again, rinsed two, and hung them to dry. I dipped the remaining two dish towels again, rinsed them, and hung them to dry. The color was a deep blue. At first, I didn’t see the difference in color between the three dips. Later the difference became clearer.
Final Day of Dyeing
Four days later, after lots of projects, the dye vat was running out of color. It looked blue, but was very watery. I also noted that specs of dye residue were dispersed throughout the liquid. I decided to keep dyeing, to see what would happen, using the same basic steps.
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I soaked the fabric in water, squeezed out the excess, and then dyed the fabric in the vat, dipping the linen and cotton fabric once, and the silk scarf twice. Surprisingly, the color was immediately pale blue. I moved the dyed fabric to the tray to rest; the fabric remained pale blue, with no further transformation. After about 20 minutes, I rinsed the fabric in water and then hung it to dry. A lot of color was lost during the rinse, making me wonder if any dye molecules were bonding with the fabric.
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| Soaking the fabric in water |
I repeated the same steps for the wool yarn: (1) soaked the skeins in water; (2) dipped one skein in the dye once, the second one twice, and the third one three times; and then (3) rinsed the fabric and hung it to dry.
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| Pale denim blue with no oxidation |
Hanging to Dry
The hanging projects look so festive as they dry. The shades of deep indigo blue become more distinctive as the fabric dries. The shade from the spent dye vat is light denim blue.
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| Indigo blue on day one of the dye bath |
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| Pale denim blue on day four of the dye bath |
Rinsing, Washing, and Hanging to Dry
After everything was dyed and dried, I ran the fabric through the washing machine using a cold cycle and Professional Textile Detergent. You could also use a mild detergent like Synthrapol. Again, I hung the fabric to air dry.
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| Cold water wash with mild textile detergent |
Reviewing the Results
Now let’s look at the outcome.
Dish Towels
The six dish towels were dyed when the dye vat was most potent. The two lighter towels were dipped once, the medium towels were dipped twice, and the darkest towels were dipped three times. The color is quite intense in all cases.
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| Cotton dish towels that were dipped once, twice and three times (left to right) |
Silk Scarf
The silk scarf was dipped two times, when the dye was almost spent. The result is a very pale blue. It’s quite delicate and lovely, but the photograph doesn’t pick up the subtle color. As with the other silk scarves I’ve dyed, I had the scarf professionally dry cleaned to remove the wrinkles and restore the sheen.
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| Silk scarf dipped twice |
Linen and Cotton Fabric
The linen and cotton fabric pieces were each dipped once when the dye was almost spent. I like the pale color, but it is not very even. I am curious about the yellow cast on the fabric pieces. They were all mordanted with oak gall last year. Would that explain it?
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| Linen and cotton fabric dipped once |
Yarn
Unfortunately, I forgot to dye yarn when the dye vat was at full strength. These skeins were dyed when the dye was almost spent. One skein was dipped once, another twice, and the third three times. For all three, there wasn’t enough dye to overcome the oatmeal color. Looking ahead, I need to obtain some white or cream-colored yarn!
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| By the fourth day, the dye did not have enough strength to overdye the oatmeal-colored yarn |
End of the Dye Vat
According to kit instructions, it is safe to dispose of the dye vat by pouring it down the drain. Clean the bucket and utensils with a dishwashing detergent like Dawn or a powdered cleanser like Bar Keepers' Friend.
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| You can purchase additional indigo crystals to extend the indigo dye bath |
Alternatively, you can purchase supplies to extend the dye vat, including pre-reduced indigo crystals, the reducing agent (soda ash), and sodium hydrosulfite. I did not do this but it makes sense environmentally to keep the vat going if you're planning to do more dyeing with indigo. Instructions and proportions are available on the Dharma Trading website.
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| Extend the dye bath with soda ash |
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| Extend the dye bath with sodium hydrosulfite |
In the next video, we’ll see more of the projects that we tackled when the dye vat was still in its prime!
Learn More
- “Indigo Dye Kit Instruction Manual”, by Jacquard Products.
- “Indigo Quick Start Instructions”, by Jacquard Products.
- “Indigo: A World of Blue”, documentary by Maiwa Productions.
- “Indigo Workshop”, by Michel Garcia. Natural Dye Workshop II, by Studio Galli.
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