Limit 8 Students
5-8:30 PM Tuesdays
February 6
February 13
February 20
February 27
March 5
604 N. Occidental Boulevard, LA CA 90026
Join me for this unique opportunity to perform some actual magic - convincing a plant to turn fabrics blue!
This class will progress from basic introduction of indigo to a deep practical course on how to actually grow and use this enigmatic plant. No prior dye experience is necessary! Attendees will also go home with seeds, seedlings or clippings from three plants grow for their use in dyeing : Persicaria tinctoria (Japanese Indigo), Indigofera suffruticosa (Carribean/Central American Indigo), and Isatis tinctoria (Woad), to be able to grow their own in future. We will also be starting and tending to fermentation vats, at the completion of the course, each student will have the opportunity to take home a starter from the vat that can serve to jump start a future vat.
The purpose of this course is to gain broad understanding of a variety of different methods for coaxing blue pigment from green leaves onto fabric fibers. Indigo’s use stretches from prehistory to today - throughout the world! As a result, there are countless methods used to work with the plant in different forms.
We will learn about how to induce indigo pigment to form from its precursor molecules and create dye vats by means of
• Macerated leaf balls
• Dried leaf composting
• Aqueous extraction of pure indigotin
We’ll learn AND PRACTICE the chemistry and principles for how to activate indigo for dyeing - namely, creating a vat with a minimum pH>9.5 and coercing the electron configuration of the indigo molecule to move from a state of oxidation to reduction. If you glazed over there, don't worry - we'll cover this from countless different angles until you get a grasp on it.
Each vat has different ingredients and care regimens and we will create from scratch, dye in, and cover the best practices for the maintenance and use of the following:
• Fermentation Vat #1 - Dry Indigo Leaf/Ash+Slaked Lime
• Fermentation Vat #2 - Indigo Pigment Extract/Wheat Bran/Ash+Slaked Lime
• Reduction Vat #1 - Indigo Pigment Extract/Citrus Rind Pectin/Slaked Lime
• Reduction Vat #2 - Indigo Pigment Extract/Ferrous Sulfate/Slaked Lime
Each vat has its strengths and challenges and for greatest success in dyeing, is often paired with a particular fiber type e.g. bast fiber, cotton, silk or wool. We will discuss best vats for each fiber and will be dipping and dyeing in every class, using the vats we've created.
Week 1 - Meet the plants and a vat! Mix up a fermentation vat and a street fruit reduction vat and discuss the differences. Sow seeds of plants for future!
Week 2 - Learn to extract the pigment from the leaf in water, mix a second fermentation vat .
Week 3 - Make a ferrous vat using pigment extract, learn basic fold and shape clamping and vat dipping behavior depending on the vat type
Week 4 - Concentration on maintenance schedules for each vat style. Putting techniques into practice. Folding and dipping fabrics into a variety of vats.
Week 5 - Layer dips for darker indigo shades. Bring containers to take home inoculation vat starter liquid from our class vats.