fi gure 6
fi gure 7
Chopsticks technique
Fan fold fabric into triangles and
then use chopsticks and rubber bands
to secure them in place. The number
of chopsticks as well as where they are
located on the bundle provide many
different pattern possibilities.
- Fan fold the fabric evenly into a
long rectangle. The width should
be about 5"–6". Press the folds. - Starting at one short end, fan
fold a triangle. Flip the fabric
and continue folding triangles,
accordion-style. Press the folds
every 2–3 folds. (fi gure 6) - Soak the folded fabric in the dishpan
of water for a few minutes. Remove
it from the water and squeeze out
the excess. - To secure the bundle for dyeing,
place chopsticks on opposite sides
of the triangle. (fi gure 7) Secure
them by wrapping a thick rubber
band around and around the end.
TIP: I’ve found that a single chopstick on
either side doesn’t provide enough resist for
a clear line to appear, so I usually use a pair
of chopsticks on either side, aligned tip to
tail so that the resulting ‘strip’ is perfectly
straight.
- Submerge the chopstick-clamped
fabric in the dye; both squeeze
the dye through the layers as well
as riffl e the free edges so the dye
will penetrate through all the
layers. Proceed with dipping the
bundles until you are happy with
the depth of color. After a fi nal
few minutes of oxidizing, remove
the chopsticks and open up the
bundle, you will fi nd the inner
layers are still the unreduced,
green form so allow more time
for that to oxidize to blue before
proceeding to washing, drying,
and enjoying.Variations: Use more pairs of
chopsticks and secure them at
different angles for different patterning
in the fi nal fabric.Finishing
Wash the fabric in a washing
machine on a hot, delicate
cycle using a small amount of
dishwashing liquid or a gentle
detergent that does not contain
bleach. After drying in a clothes
dryer, the fabrics are ready to use in
your work.- Do not agitate the vat—oxygen is
not a friend to a vat of indigo. Keep
splashes and vigorous stirring to a
minimum. - Before starting a dyeing session,
skim off any blue crystals or foam
that have collected on the surface
and place them in a fl at plastic
container or plate. - Return the lid to the vat when not
actively dyeing. - Once you are done using the vat
for the day, return the skimmed
blue crystals and foam to the vat by
dipping the container holding them
into the vat and stirring them gently
into the yellow-green solution.
Cover the bucket and you can use
this vat many times.- Th e next time you wish to dye,
test the vat with a small scrap of
fabric before beginning another
dyeing session. When the liquid is
no longer yellow-green and the test
fabric is no longer blue, discard the
contents of the bucket by pouring
them down the drain.
Care and Feeding of the Indigo Vat