Indigo – From Plant to Pigment
Discover indigo – one of the world’s most fascinating and timeless dyes. Indigo is an inspiring and practical guide for anyone who wants to learn how to grow, extract and dye with indigo, taking you all the way from the first plants to beautifully finished textile projects.
Indigo’s distinctive deep blue has been used for centuries and remains just as relevant today – not least through the iconic blue of denim. Richly illustrated with inspirational images, this book teaches you how to work with both natural and synthetic indigo to create beautiful shades, patterns and effects on textiles.
The book guides you through the entire process. Learn how to grow indigo at home, whether you have just a windowsill or a full garden, with advice on choosing the best varieties for different growing conditions. You’ll then discover a range of dyeing techniques, including warm and cold indigo dyeing, fructose vats, hydrosulfite and fermented vats, as well as ways to combine indigo with other plant pigments for striking multi-coloured results.
For those who want to understand the process in greater depth, there is also a chapter exploring the science behind indigo dyeing, complete with practical troubleshooting tips to help you experiment and develop your skills.
The projects section brings these techniques to life with guides to Japanese embroidery methods such as moyo-sashi and hitome-sashi, patchwork quilts, resist-dyed patterns and traditional techniques including ikat and boro. Create everything from intricate geometric designs to beautiful honeycomb and storm patterns.
Indigo is ideal for both beginners and experienced textile and dyeing enthusiasts. A beautiful and informative book filled with inspiration for anyone who wants to follow indigo’s journey from plant and pigment to unique, handmade textiles.
Perfect for: natural dyeing, textile crafts, slow craft, embroidery, sewing and creative DIY projects.
