Indigo - Taking it Further than Ever

At Book Depository

While on the subject of colour, try to get your hands on Victoria Finlay’s fascinating travelogue, “Color”.  Aside from interesting facts about the history and development of various colours (murex – a purple from predatory sea snails), you really begin to understand how important colour has been to us through-out history. 

There's a chapter dedicated to indigo and it makes you really think about how world's collided as the demand for these natural colouring substances increased.  The ready availability of synthetic dyes has certainly changed us.

Why do we love colour?  Mary Schoeser suggests in "World Textiles" that the period between 3000 – 400BC (Bronze & Iron Ages) is more a Dye and Loom Age.  Discoveries reveal advanced skills in both crafts; more than we credit them for having had.  These skills have left a cultural imprint that is still significant and very relevant today. It’s in our bones you see….

In my Indian indigo kurta in Nepal, 2005

Indigo is the oldest known dye, dating to about 2500BC, and the earliest centre for its production and processing is considered to be India.  Indigo, a heavenly blue, has been seen as a sign of wealth and luxury; having protective properties – both spiritually and for health reasons (insect repellent) across many civilizations  and an embryonic motivator in world resource trading (and cross-cultural sharing?). 

Indigo from Hill Tribes in Vietnam, 2007

Hill Tribes in Vietnam continue an indigo tradition to this day. It is a complex mix of highly technical skills learnt over generations and infused religious/spiritual beliefs. In Japan’s Edo Period, indigo dyed cotton was quite possibly the uniform of the masses since silk was a forbidden cloth, unless you were the emperor, of course!  That tradition lives on today and no more so than in our favourite casual wear – blue jeans. We, who work with our hands, call ourselves blue collar workers……

At the Aizome Workshop in Kyoto, 2000

I had the great privilege in 2000 (still looking for my photos) of meeting a 3^rd generation Aizome (indigo dye) Master, Kenichi Utsuki in Aizenkobo, at his family’s aizome studio, itself dating from 1850’s.  Located deep in the fascinating and historic Nishijin textile neighbourhood of old Kyoto, we struggled to find the studio, being waylaid by so many seriously tempting sights.  Not to worry, the smell of the fermenting vats of dye led us to his studio door.  If you love to dye, if you love sensuous shades of blue, if you thrill at the look and touch of traditional hand-dyed fabrics, if you gasp at the skills of a master dyer, then this is definitely the place to be.

Shades of Indigo in Yorktown USA, 2009

So why am I bringing this to your attention?  Well, indigo was eventually a major crop for South Carolina (and thrived in Jamaica and the Virgin Islands) so it is hardly surprising that Yorktown farmers in 1780's were using it to colour their clothes.

Blue glazed tiles from Yorktown.
Blue was a favourite colour

Not an Exact Science

If you want to try some natural dyes yourself
 follow India Flint's instructions. Try Amazon

Getting back to those beautiful natural dyes, early settlers in the Tidewater had 3 dye sources readily on hand – animal, vegetable and mineral.  Mineral of course goes back to 3000BC perhaps when some early artist found that ochres stained his (or her) animal skin cape or twig brushes. 

Over the years, others noted that there were  dyes which left a lasting colour without help (substantive; like beetroot juice on my white shirt!) and others, adjective dyes, which required some pre-treatment of the base fabric with a mordant to help the dyes bite.  The oldest known mordant is urine but alum, tin or iron is more common.  After the dye has taken, it needs to be “set”, commonly with a salt and vinegar mix. 

Aniline dyes were developed in the 1850’s; a chemical process which produced vivid colours.  Procion dye is one I’ve recently played with but along with technical advance, comes inherent dangers and the need to wear a face mask, rubber gloves and big aprons. And be especially careful when discarding unwanted mixtures. I also used a washing machine (heaps of water) and a dryer (heaps of electricity) to arrive at a finished product. 

Sample Board : Black Walnut, Brazilwood & Cochineal

So heritage or natural dyes seem a much gentler alternative.  Samples at the Yorktown 1780’s farm included dyes made from locally available materials –  black walnut, brazilwood, cochineal (from Central America), indigo (a major crop for South Carolina) or woad, logwood, madder, onion skins and of course, tobacco leaves made up a modest but beautifully soft palette. 

Sample Board: Logwood, Madder, Onion Skins & Tobacco

Preparing a dye pot is also time consuming and requires, even today, lots of chopping, grinding and crushing. Many recipes are closely guarded secrets.  Luckily, India Flint, a talented Aussie, has shared many of her secrets in her book, Eco Colour. Otherwise, there are a few easy recipes out there if you scour the internet.  

Me, I’m off to find a bit of fabric.  I’ve just cut a pomegranate and it has the most beautiful ruby red juice I’ve ever seen!    

Frontier Dyeing on the Tidewater



1780's Farm

Whilst exploring the 1780’s farm in the Victory Center in Yorktown (USA), I discovered something that sent my textile radar into overdrive. 

Now we all love colour, right?  Well, down in a small shed on the other side of the garden was a small basket of cotton ready for carding and a sample board of dyed fabrics.  The colours were amazing – a subtle palette of natural dyes…

Herbs drying in the Kitchen

Jamestown, across the Colonial Parkway, was settled by English colonists in 1607; the beginning of English Colonial America 1607 – 1781. We've all heard of Captain John Smith and Pocahontas?  Yorktown was later settled in 1691 and grew to become a sizeable and busy port in what was known as the Tidewater region. Tobacco was its main commodity, which was grown on small farms surrounding the port.  These farms were generally 2-3 acres and fertile enough to support crops of tobacco and foodstuffs.  Families of 6-8 lived in a one or two roomed cottage. The kitchen, a barn for drying tobacco, a walled kitchen garden and smaller storage areas were located nearby. Self-sufficiency was de rigueur.

Collage of farm shots

This translates into finding time in their already busy schedules to grow their own animal or vegetable fibre (cotton or wool), then prepare it ready for spinning, weaving and colouring.  Once they had cloth, it had to be then sewn (by hand!) into clothing or practical household goods such as blankets.  I wonder how many of our fashion divas would survive this homespun life?