Natural dyeing has been around for centuries, long before synthetic colors took over. For this project, I experimented with two timeless dyes, indigo and turmeric, to see if I could create an olive-green hue by combining them. Indigo, known as “blue gold,” has deep roots in ancient civilizations and became a global staple used in everything from royal robes to denim. Turmeric, on the other hand, is the golden spice of South Asia, used not only in cooking but also in rituals, weddings, and traditional clothing.
Both dyes carry rich histories and vibrant stories, and bringing them together felt like blending art, culture, and science. In this post, I’ll share a bit about their backgrounds and walk you through how I used them to transform plain cotton into a naturally dyed fabric.
Being that this was my first foray into natural dyeing, here are a few tips that are essential if you are a beginner:
1.Be prepared for a trial-and-error process. Have extra fabric on hand in case the first doesn’t turn out the way you expected.
2.Wear gloves! Especially if you are using indigo, as it is an extremely dark hue, and difficult to remove from clothing and skin.
3. Most importantly, have fun with it!
Time to Dye!
Materials:
- Natural dyestuff of choice: in my case, I used turmeric, (2 tbsp) and pre-reduced indigo, https://www.jacquardproducts.com/indigo
- Big pot filled with 8-10 cups of boiling water
- Rubber bands
- Giant plastic bowl or basin filled with cold water
- Wooden or metal spoons
- Rubber gloves
- Old t-shirts pillowcases, or any old fabric you have on hand
- 2 tablespoons salt
My dyeing process was executed as followed:
- Prepare turmeric bath. Boil 10-12 cups of water and add 2 tablespoons of turmeric. 2 tablespoons of salt can be added as a mordant for the turmeric bath, this step is optional. Boil for 10-15 minutes, stirring frequently.
(Adding turmeric to boiling water)
2. To prepare indigo vat add one gallon of cold water to a plastic bucket or bowl. Add on tablespoon of indigo, (mine was pre-reduced), and stir until completely dissolved.
3. Fold fabric, or apparel of choice, using rubber bands as a resist.
(Twisting fabric and adding resist prior to dyeing)
4. Add fabric into turmeric bath for another 15-20 minutes, covered, reducing heat to low. Ensure that your fabric is completely submerged.
5. Remove fabric from turmeric, submerge in indigo vat.
6. Remove from indigo.
7. Wash fabric with clear soap and water, while also removing resists. Completely rinse until water runs clear.
8. Hang to dry, or dry in dryer.
(Completed cotton after washing and drying).
(Completed T-shirt after rinsing and drying)
9. Reuse turmeric as an exhaust bath for extra fabrics/clothing.
