Indigo

From cowboys' denim to the jeans in your wardrobe, indigo's enduring popularity survives to this day. In this practical handbook, learn how to use this powerful pigment to breathe life into your clothes and craft projects. This book contains all the information you need to use natural or synthetic indigo, alongside a wealth of dying recipes with other plants and textile ideas.

In the first chapter, learn how to grow indigo yourself, whether you have a windowsill or a full garden. No matter where you live, the authors provide gardening tips for the best species of indigo for your area. From there, a variety of different dyeing techniques are explained to achieve your desired results. Covering everything from warm or cold dyeing with indigo, fructose, hydrosulfite and fermented vats, as well as dyeing with other pigments for multi-coloured effects. A chapter explaining the science behind the dye also troubleshoots any problems to help you experiment further.

Finally, the projects section includes guides on how to use your dyed textiles to create intricate moyo-sashi and hitome-sashi embroidery, patchwork quilts or resist-dyed patterns. Weave using traditional ikat or boro techniques and dye beautiful honeycomb, storm and geometric patterns. Take your ideas to the next level with this potent dye and create projects that are bound to astound.

From plant to pigment, Indigo will encourage both beginners and experienced dyers to cultivate, dye and create with a wide range of innovative and exciting recipes and unique projects.

About the Authors

Douglas Luhanko has a passion for denim and indigo. Both he and Kerstin Neumuller run Second Sunrise, a raw denim menswear boutique in Stockholm and also manufactures jeans in his own company Blue Highway.

Kerstin Neumuller is a crafter, tailor, woodworker and author with many years of textile studies behind her. She can be found in her workshop creating things whenever she isn't writing books or teaching workshops. Her previous books include: Simple Weave, Indigo and Mend & Patch. She lives in Sormland, Sweden.