We started with Indigo dye kits, mixing the dye powder, soda ash and thiox. Once mixed, it created a "flower"or cluster of bubbles that needed to be skimmed off before the fabric was placed in the vat.
Before we immersed into the vat, we manipulated our fabric in various ways. Rubber bands, golf balls, pipe wrap are just a few of the methods we used. The color was yellow green to start, which was rather surprising! The fabric was gently dipped into the vat for a time, and once it was removed and hit the air, it began to oxidize, turning the fabric blue. It was a very interesting process to watch!
Here are some of the results.
Look at all of that indigo blue!
All in all, it was a very fun day, and a process that some will continue to explore, and others not! After washing, some of the fabrics retained their dark color and some faded quite a bit, so that is another puzzle to solve. There were also several blue hands and lovely blue fingernails!
Perhaps a Raven Mavens Indigo show in the future? Stay tuned!
