Experiments in Natural Dyeing

The dyes in the photo above are mud dye – the reddish one; on the right is kakishibu persimmon dye that’s been shifted to gray, and the blue is a piece of fabric that fell to the bottom of the indigo vat some unknown number of months ago!

Here’s a close-up shot of that one:

This piece was tied in a bundle and fell to the bottom of the indigo vat, where it stayed for months!

That’s not a recommended method – leaving the fabric for months – but the color and pattern are pretty cool!

None of these are glamour shots, you’re getting the kinds of documentary photos I take for myself.

The mud dyeing – I haven’t been able to find any step by step instructions online, or books, for mud dyeing. I read a lot online, made some inferences and guesses, ordered some stuff, and then just tried it. And it worked! I love this color! It will be interesting to see how it looks after it’s been washed for the first time. Next, I’ll try it on linen.

Just a sneak peak, I’ll have more to show you soon!