All Natural Indigo Dye Kit
Developed by a Japanese manufacturer of Yamato Indigo, All Natural Indigo Dye is a unique mixture of three kinds of natural indigo dye: Sukumo, Japanese indigo made of polygonum, Ma-ai made of Pink Strobianthes and Indian Indigo made of indigofera tinctorial. The kit dyes up to 200g of cotton, linen or silk fabric in light to medium blue.
Included in the kit:
20g of All Natural Indigo Dye
40g of limestone powder
40g of glucose powder
60ml of 30% pure vinegar
A pair of latex gloves
Instruction Sheet
You will need:
2 to 3 buckets approximately 10 liter
A bucket approximately 20 liter
A bowl approximately 5 liter
A mixing stick
2 liter of hot water
1 liter of warm water
Rinse water
Measuring cup, scale, thermometer
Scrap paper
Instruction:
< Preparation >
1. Tap water may contain small amounts of chlorine which prevent the fabric from dyeing well. It is recommended to remove chlorine from water for the vat (2 liters of hot water, 2 liters of room-temperature water) by boiling it for 10 minutes or leave it in the bucket for 24 hours.
2. Scale your fabric. This kit dyes about 200g of fabric. Soak the fabric in hot water for 10 minutes. It makes the fabric dye better and more evenly.
< Make vat >
3. Put latex gloves on. Add All Natural Indigo Dye and limestone powder into a bucket, and slowly pour 2 liters of hot water into it. Mix them for 5 minutes. The color of dye liquid willl turn from yellow to green.
3. Add glucose powder and keep mixing for another 5 minutes. The dye starts to smell sweet.
4. Slowly add 2 liter of room-temperature water and mix for another 5 minutes. The temperature of the dye should be about 40 to 50 degrees in celsius (104 to 122 in Fahrenheit). The dye vat is ready now. If it is still too hot to put your hands in, wait until it cools down.
< Dye >
5. Skim off any foam from the surface of the dye with scrap paper.
6. Soak the wet fabric slowing into the vat. Make sure the fabric is fully submerged in the dye and keep massaging it inside the vat for 3 mins.
7. Take the fabric out of the vat, squeeze out well. The fabric is green at this point.
8. Pour 4 liter of water in another bucket. Rinse the fabric in this bucket. Repeat putting the fabric in and out of water until all scum of indigo leaves are completely rinsed off.
9. Rinse again in water and leave it in the air for 3 minutes. The fabric should turn from green to blue by oxidation.
10. To dye darker, repeat steps 6 to 9.
*Note this kit does not dye fabric dark.
11. Mix 60ml of 30% vinegar into 5 liter of water in a bucket. Soak the fabric for 15 minutes.
12. Take the fabric out of the bucket, rinse it until water runs clear. Air dry.