Indigo Dye Cloth Tutorial

This is my first time to write instructables. Decided to publish my favorite DIY activity : indigo dye. I tried this last winter. So cold, right ? Haha

Material you will need :
Indigo 8 oz

Soda 0.7-1.7 oz

Reduced Powder 0.7 oz

Normal Temperature Clear Water

Choose a piece of cloth, and completely soak it in clear water for more than 20 minutes. This is what we called prewash the fabrics. It's important to remove sizings, finishes, and invisible stains from fabric before trying to dye it, no matter what dye you are using, because they can block any dye from reaching the fabric evenly. So make sure fabrics you want to dye has been fully cleaned.

Then prepare the dyeing liquor which is made of 1.8 oz indigo, 1.5 oz soda, 0.7 oz reduced powder and 13 gallon clear water. But please keep in mind, you should keep stirring it gently until everything is mixed well in the water after
having poured all materials into your dye vat. You can also skim the foam while stirring. Once you feel all ingredients is fully dissolved, then wait for about 20 min, also another 10-20 min is required during winter for the dying liquorprocessing.

Take out the cloth you have soaked before and then put it into the dye liquor for about 10 min. You can also dye it for any length of time as you like, but we found that the fabrics will absorb no dyeing liquor after 24 hours. It is
better to follow the advice from the seller who sell you this dye kit. After applying dye to one side, flip each piece over and repeat the process. The fabric will look much darker when wet, don’t panic ! Most fabric will float during this process so stirring the cloth is also needed here in order to help the cloth dyeing evenly. You can use tie dye techniques in this step for more beautiful patterns if you are good at this.

Take out the dyed cloth after 10 minutes dyeing. You may find the color will be a little yellow-green. That's normal. Just leave it in the air for about 10 min. After the dyed cloth has been in the air for about 10 min, another pail of
clear water should be used to wash this dyed cloth until there is no color fading any more. Last but not least, your indigo dyeing product should be dried in the air naturally after washing. If possible, leave it overnight.

Now you get it. Then you would have your own beautiful indigo dye product, also you could make it into any kind of things, such as a bag, pants or a skirt.

I am not very good at it. Please comment if you have suggestions !