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This new form of indigo extract makes it easier than ever to dye your own clothes, fiber, and yarn with natural dyes. Why do we call it "Magic"? Because it's so easy to use, and the colors are so beautiful, it's like magic!
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Directions for Indigo Crystals (Blue) Paint Dyeing
Modern technology has brought us "Instant Natural Indigo Vat" in the form of freeze-dried crystals.
If you are just using Indigo for blue (and not mixing it with any of the other dyes for other colors), then no mordanting is necessary. If you are mixing it, mordant the fiber as you would for the other dyes.
Step 1: Mix Indigo Add about 1/2 teaspoon of the crystals to a quarter cup or less of warm water. Stir very gently until crystals are dissolved. Try not to incorporate any air into the dye.
Mix only as much as you need and use it within an hour or so. After an hour, the indigo dye oxidizes and is useless. This is a very strong dye, so you don't need much.
Step 2: Mix with other paints if desired For green, mix with Yellow paint dye, or paint the yellow over the blue or the blue over the yellow.
Step 3: Paint! Color can be deepened by a second or third coat.
Step 4: Wash After the color has "aired" 20 minutes, it can be washed. Some artists do not wash out excess dye from wall art, but it is important to wash out excess dye if you plan to wear your creation.
Storage: Tightly cap remaining crystals. Once opened, the container should be used within a few months or sooner.
Instant Indigo Vat
If, after looking at the Natural Indigo Fermentation Vat you think it is all just too much trouble, way too complicated and probably excessively messy, you are in luck. There is now a new high tech Indigo vat that is instant. Just add water, and begin to dye.
Uniquely invented in Japan, the technology of freeze drying allows a fully reduced natural vat to be preserved. The Indigo remains in its reduced state until water is added. Then it can be immediately used for either vat or paint dyeing.
To use as a vat dye, simply add to warm water, sufficient to immerse the item to be dyed. Watch how beautifully the indigo crystals dance as they disperse their precious dye into the clear water. See how beautiful is the coppery film that forms upon the surface.
Gently stir to dissolve all the crystals. Immerse the wet out article, move it gently under the surface for several minutes, then wring carefully as you lift it out of the vat. It should look green. Open out and lay on newspaper to air for 15 minutes. It will turn blue in the air. Repeat until it is the depth of blue you want. (Remember that the shade will lighten with rinsing and drying).
To renew a vat or paint pot that has turned blue (which means it won't dye - it will only stain, and the blue will wash out) add some RIT colour remover, also called spectralite or sodium hydrosulphite, and let the vat sit an hour or overnite.
Always keep the vat covered when not in use, and prepare only what you will use in one day.
The dyevats that become these instant magic Indigo crystals are prepared in Japan. The Indigo used is all natural. Once the vat is freeze dried, care must be taken to exclude air and moisture from the crystals. Our containers are filled and packed tight. They have an air-excluding seal and a screw lid. The container is additionally sealed in a plastic zip lock bag. Freeze dried Instant Indigo should be used within a few months of purchase. Once opened, the container should be used within a few weeks, and kept tightly closed when not in use. Should the crystals lose their lustre, indicating they have oxidized, they can still be used by following the renewal instructions above, that is, by adding a bit of RIT colour remover to the dye solution and letting it sit an hour or so.
Before there was Instant Indigo Vat there was no way to paint dye the rich, fast Natural Indigo colour. Nor could one dye a permanent blue without much preparation and fuss. Now, thanks to technology, we can paint dye vat Indigo blue, instantly.
NOTE: This dye can be used on the skin. It makes a lovely temporary tattoo. Simply brush it on - freehand or through a stencil. Or apply with a Q-tip. In many tropical cultures, Indigo is applied to the whole body, as the blue colour and Indigo's smell discourage insects. It is thought the original Kohl of Egyptian dark eyed beauties was Indigo, because Indigo around the eyes can prevent some tropical eye diseases. Kohl is still the term for Indigo in parts of Africa.
For paint dye around the eyes DO NOT USE INSTANT INDIGO. It contains alkali that might irritate the eyes. Instead use a simple water paste of finely ground regular Indigo. For Kohl, it can be thickened with cornstarch, arrowroot or white flour. ALWAYS TEST FOR SENSITIVITY before using any new herb on your skin.
Painting on Paper
Another wonderful thing about these dyes is that you can use them as natural watercolour paints. Just brush a solution of water mixed with alum mordant on the paper, let it dry (if you want clean lines), and paint!
The mordant solution is the same - 25% by weight of paper, with just enough water to dissolve the alum
(give it a half hour to dissolve if it isn't powdered). You may need to brush it on and dry it several times to get enough alum on the paper if it's thick, or just once if the paper is thin.
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