Indigo

We've been learning about Indigo at Tafe.  (Perhaps you're wondering if I do anything else other than Tafe, textiles, art and belly dancing?  Well the short answer is NOPE.....and I'm loving every minute of it).

I've been taking my time to stitch the patterning into the fabric before dyeing and some of the results have been a bit of a bummer, and others have been just so amazing.  Well I think they have......but then I'm a nerd with no life remember.

Indigo dyeing does have it's down side though.  The blue dye goes on forever and colours everything within a 50 mile radius if you're not careful.....despite what the experts say.  I picked up my fabric from Tafe today which was still in the Indigo dye bath (a plastic bucket), and very kindly offered to rinse the other couple of students' fabrics also.  I mean what did I have to lose....it was a sunny day and I was going to do mine anyway.  (Mistake number one).

I decided to steer clear of my already corroded white acrylic kitchen sink and headed for the sunny backyard.  

All I had to do was take the dyed fabrics out of the bucket, let them oxidise in the open air (and very pleasant sunshine) then rinse them.....not hard.  Really?  I now have blue feet, blue lawn, blue pegs and clothesline, a blue dog, and tonight I even have a blue natural bristle shower brush.    I have no voice from laughing and squealing......the dog thinks the hose was invented solely for her entertainment.  

Oh, I also have some stunning fabric.

Pretty amazing huh?