Learn the technique of using clay resist and indigo plant dye to create patterned cloth. An easy surface design technique with stunning results.
The Clay Resist kit contains the pre-measured ingredients to create a thickened clay paste, which you can print onto fabric using the method of your choice - paint, stencil, silk screen, wood block, lino cut print, etc.
Once printed and dried, you dye your fabric in the vat created with the Indigo Kit and the dye will resist where you have printed the clay, leaving these areas undyed while the rest of your fabric becomes blue. This technique only works with indigo, since the clay paste is soluble in water and would wash off in other dye baths, but the unique qualities of the indigo vat mean that the clay holds up in the vat. When you are finished dyeing, you simply wash off the paste and reveal your design.
Below is information about each of the kits:
INDIGO KIT
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Indigo bearing plants are the world's best source of natural, true, colourfast blue. A magical dyestuff that has been used around the world as a dye since pre-historic times, the culture and wonder that surrounds this plant is immense.
Indigo cannot be dyed in the same way as other dyes, but must be used to create a "living" vat, which is achieved through a sort of fermentation process.
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This kit contains the pre-measured ingredients to create one organic fructose vat, with which you can dye quite a bit of fibre - how much a kit will dye depends on a few things, including how dark you want the blue to be, and what fibres you use. But it will dye a lot! As a general ballpark, you could expect to dye at least 5 yards of a medium weight cotton such as a quilting cotton, to a medium blue, and probably more, and darker if you wish.
The vat can remain active for several weeks, depending on how much you use it.
Indigo can be used to dye any natural fibres, not synthetics. You can dye fabric, yarn, garments, wood, anything that you like, and any fibre, such as cotton, linen, wool, silk, bamboo, rayon, hemp, etc. A small amount of synthetic fibre content such as 5% spandex in a garment, or 5% nylon in a sock yarn, is no problem.
The kit also includes comprehensive instructions on how to create and use the vat.
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Contents:
25g indigofera tinctoria powder, extracted from the plant
50g pickling lime (calx)
75g fructose sugar
CLAY RESIST KIT
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Contains the pre-measured ingredients to create a thickened clay paste, which you can print onto fabric using the method of your choice - paint, stencil, silk screen, wood block, lino cut print, etc.
Once printed and dried, you dye your fabric in indigo and the dye will resist where you have printed the clay, leaving these areas undyed while the rest of your fabric becomes blue. This technique only works with indigo, since clay paste is soluble in water and would wash off in other dye baths, but the unique qualities of the indigo vat mean that the clay holds up in the vat. When you are finished dyeing, you simply wash off the paste and reveal your design.
The paste can be used on any fabric made of natural fibres, such as cotton, linen, wool, silk, etc. We recommend using fabric without too much texture, and that you begin by using smaller pieces of fabric, rather than one large. Coloured or previously dyed fabric works as well. If your fabric is yellow, for example, it will remain yellow where you apply the paste, and will become green where it mixes with the blue from the indigo vat.
The quantity of fabric you can print and dye will depend on your design - if your design has a lot of "white space" or areas that will be resist printed, the paste will get used up quickly. If your design has finer lines and smaller areas of resist, you will be able to print more fabric. As a general ballpark, you can expect to resist print 2-4 yards of fabric.
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Contents:
15g magnesium sulphate (epsom salts)
30g gum arabic
50g calcium bentonite clay
We also sell stencils to use with this technique, and blank items, perfect for using with these two kits.
Looking for things to dye? Visit the "Blanks for Dyeing" section if our shop to find white and unbleached fabric, yarn, and small accessories, all ready to dye!
https://www.etsy.com/ca/shop/theloveofcolours?ref=hdr_user_menu-shop§ion_id=28391891
For more questions, including what else you need in order to use this kit, refer to the FAQs at the bottom of this page, or here:
https://www.juliesinden.com/pages/faqsaboutourdyes
