NATURAL DYES AND COLORATION.

In ancient civilizations, dyeing was highly important craft.Specialists who knew how to produce the strongest, clearest, most beautiful colors were commercially in demand. With the arrival of the crafts guilds in the Medieval ages, dyeing became a profession, whose members received a certain degree of appreciation. Ancient China, India, Egypt, and parts of Great Britian developed great skill in dying with natural materials. The techniques used were also known by tribesman worldwide for centuries, used to dye bodies, clothing, and woods. The Romany gypsies at one time artificially dyed their faces with gipsywort. Sadly, the techniques and skills are, for the most part, in disuse today,due to technical advances which have made such skills needless. Dying with herbs and plants remains a pleasant craft, and a learned skill for a select few, however, and can be vastly enjoyable, even for the beginner, with the gathering of the plants and herbs a great part of the enjoyment.

Natural Dyes
The colors obtained from natural dyes have a harmony, - a depth that is missing from synthetic ones. The "imperfections" in the colors produced with natural dyes create a depth that is marvelous. The colours seem almost to sing, and to reflect the light so much more deeply. And using natures materials is one more way to become closer to Mother Earth Dyes are materials that give color to other substances, such as yarn, food, paper, and cloth. Although synthetic dyeing methods have taken over in the last century, dyeing materials still abound in the natural world today. Some weeds produce light tan or yellow coloring, which others may produce beautiful shades that become faded with exposure to light to take on even greater beauty in the fading. Geraniums, dahlias, mulberries, are all popular dying plants, while the traditional plants such as woad are also worth cultivating. . There are so many plants which produce multiple dyes, imbue the fibers with a unique blue green.

Mordants are chemicals that help improve the depth of color and the fastness of the dye. The most commonly used mordants are the metallic salts of alum, chrome, iron, and tin. Natural dyes can be derived from almost anything...plants, minerals, and even some insects. The discovery of the Americas gave to Europe even more dyeing colours, mainly red and purple. The female Cochineal insect,in Mexico, contains a coloring agent of carmine, and can be used to produce reds, pinks and grays. Even common shrubbery can produice beautiful yellows and greens. Natural dyeing materials are mainly plants, with the exception of certain insects and snails, which make reds and greys. Red is a difficult color to gain naturally, as most red materials are iron, which rusts to a dull brown when heated. Most natural dye colors are found in the roots, bark, leaves, flowers, skins, and shells of plants. Some plants may have more than one color dependent upon which part of the plant one uses.. The hue or shade of the color a plant will produce will vary according to time of year it is picked, how it was grown, soil content and etc. Minerals in the water used in a dye bath can also alter the color. Dyes don't combine directly with the substance they are intended to color. A mordant is required to make the color hold. Mordants are materials that cause the natural dyes to bond chemically with the cloth, preventing the color from either fading with exposure to light or washing out.

Natural Dyes
If you use 100% natural cloth or yarn, or cloth that has not yet been dyed, (white or natural tan or grey), the dyes will not require mordants, although unmordanted dyes are not fast to washing. Over time, with exposure to light and soapy water, these colors will fade, but natural dyes fade more harmoniously than do synthetic ones. If you want to try using alum as a mordant, you will get better end results in terms of the fastness of the dye. Natural dyes work best with natural fibers such as cotton, linen, wool, silk, and others such as jute, ramie, and sisal, with wool being by far the easiest to take the dyes, followed by cotton, linen, silk, and then the more coarse fibers such as sisal and jute. . Also use common sense and do not breathe the fumes or dump the dyes or mordants where children or animals may have access to it. Use an equal amount of dye and yarn - if you want to dye two ounces of material, add two ounces of plant material. The darkness of color will vary as dying is not an exact science and experimentation is fun. Add more of the dye substance if you find that your piece isn't the color you wanted.

COLORS ACHIEVED berries are not colorfast. Adding a alum as a mordant will help them to stay true . Cook the berries with materials - if color is too blue, add white vinegar, a tbp. at a time, to make color more red.

Pink/Rose/LavenderElderberries, Blackberries, Pokeberries,Rose hips, Sorrel

Golden Yellow - Tumeric Powder, Saffron and turmeric is found in the grocery Saffron(although it is highly store. One tbp. per oz. of yarn, dissolve in expensive) Field Mustard water and boil with yarn. Scrape bark from trees or branches,( bark needs to be moist)and boil with materials. Need 3 times as much bark as yarn. Try other barks - cherry gives a light pink or a tan , Experiementation is the key. Use 3-4 handfuls of outer skin, preferably dry per oz. of yarn. Boil with yarn. Boil varied amounts to achieve different shades. Boil varied amounts, a good rule of thumb use about the amount in weight as the fiber to be dyed Use the outer hull of nut, not just shells. Soak overnight in water,boil,using the same water, adding as necessary to assure it covers the hulls and materials. Soak overnight in water,boil,using the same water.

Sunshine Yellow - Golden rod, Apple and Pear Tree Bark

Yellow/Oranges- Onion Skins, beetroot,privet leaves, dahlias, goldenrod, heather, marigolds,pear leaves Gray/Green - Dandelions,Red Onion Skins Greens,-Shrubbery clippings,Privet, Bracken, Lily of the Valley, Nettles,Weld, Deep Brown - Gipsywort, Sassafras, Walnut Hulls,Hawthorn berries Blues - blackberries, blueberries, dandelion root, wood, indigo plant,

Dyeing
You will need: an enamel or stainless steel pot,(DO NOT use it for cooking ), 5 tablespoons distilled white vinegar, measuring spoons, wooden spoons to remove the materials from the dyebath. Wash the materials in warm soapy water and keep them wet.

Mordanting the yarn is important if you want your dyes to become colorfast. DO NOT BREATHE THE MORDANT FUMES!!! Put about a half teaspoon of alum mordant for every 2 ounces of material. Put the mordant in your pot with one cup of water. Heat and stir gently until dissolved. Do not boil! Add 2 quarts water and stir well to mix. Place your saturated yarn into bath and bring to a slow simmer. Turn heat down as water begins to boil, allow material to simmer for one hour. Stir occassionally. Next, turn off the heat. Allow the material to cool. Once it is cooled, squeeze the excess water from it and rinse in warm water to remove the alum. When dyeing, always make sure that the yarn is completely covered with water. The longer you leave the yarn in the dyebath, the deeper or richer the color will be. Different dye materials, will dye the yarn at different speeds. For paler colors, check the yarn 15 minutes after the dyebath has come to a simmer. remember that wet materials look darker than they will appear dry. For a richer colour leave it in the dye overnight.

LINKS TO DYE SITES.

The Urban Eagle Natural Dying Making dyes naturally

BOOKS TO FIND

Ancient Dyes for Modern Weavers Weigle, Palmy New York, NY: Watson-Guptill Publications, 1974 This book lists 125 recipes using natural dye materials and different mordants. The only color photos are on the inside front and back cover but the information is extensive. Dyeing with Natural Materials Las Aranas Spinners and Weavers Guild Albuquerque, New Mexico, 1987 This booklet was prepared to be used in a workshop and has recipes for a number of plants. Nature's Dyepot: A Resource Guide for Spinners, Weavers & Dyers McRae, Bobbi A Austin, Texas: Fiberworks Publications, 1991 ISBN 0944577-02-4 This is a book of resources. Full of good sources for : Plants and Seeds, Dried Dyestuffs and Miscellaneous Supplies and a bibliography of Select Books and Articles plus an A to Z chart of potential dye plants. Navajo Native Dyes: Their Preparation and Use Bryan, Nonabh G Palmer Lake, Colorado The Filter Press, 1978 ISBN 0-910584-57-5 Dyeing the Navajo way with a description of the traditional Navajo dyeing techniques as well as a complete description of the plants used and the colors they give. Very enlightening from a historical perspective.

BACK TO THE SITE MAP

rinciples of Natural Dyeing 1. Most natural dyes need both a plant extract and a mineral mordant to make a permanent colour. 2. The stronger the dye extract - the more plant used - the deeper the colour. 3. Mineral (metal salt) mordants are always used in the same PROPORTION. One can use less for a pale colour, but NEVER USE MORE, as too much metal can harm the fibre. 4. All recipes are given as PROPORTIONS. Typically, amounts are for 1 pound of fiber. If you are dyeing more, increase the amounts, proportionally; if less, decrease, always proportionally. i.e. if you are dyeing 1/2 lb, use only 1/2 the recipe amount. 5. TIME - TEMPERATURE - CONCENTRATION are the variables involved in any chemical reaction. Higher temperature means less time needed for dyeing, as does higher concentration of dyestuff.

6. Prepare your textile material for the rigours of the dyebath: put FIBRE in a MESH BAG; tie YARN IN SKEINS, using thin yarn ties; PRE-WASH FABRIC or garments to remove any sizing. 7. NO RUSH. Work time is not that much, but process time can be several days. Equipment and Materials Use big pots with plenty of room for the material to move freely. Otherwise the colour will dye very unevenly. Since these recipes use only alum and iron for mordants, and completely non-toxic dyestuffs, any type of pot is ok to use. If you work just with alum and iron, most dye work can be done in plastic buckets with the cold soak method below (except the dye extraction itself). Stainless steel or unchipped enamel are recommended. Aluminum pots will take more scrubbing to clean, and may stain permanently with dark dyes. Iron darkens colours, so iron pots should be used only with recipes that call for iron. Just make sure you scrub your pot thoughly after use or you may end up witn pink spaghetti. If other mordants are used, use a stainless steel pot dedicated only to dyework because there will always be residue and you wouldn't want to eat from these pots. Aurora Silk sells a full selection of natural dyes and mordants. For ideas on which dyes and which mordants to use, view our Natural Dye Color Chart. Step 1 - Preparing material and dye Mordanting your fiber material:

WEIGH your textile material. All recipes are proportional, just as in cooking. ALUM: Divide the weight of the material to dye BY FOUR. Weight out that much alum mordant. A scant two tablespoons equals one ounce of alum. Add the alum to the pot, and almost fill with warm water. Leave enough room to add the wet textile material. Stir until fully dissolved. OTHER MORDANTS: oz (two teaspoons) per pound fiber for tin, chrome, iron and copper. Wet out the textile in warm water. Add the wet textile. Gently stir so that it is opened out in the solution. HEAT until the pot is hot, stirring occasionally for evenness of colour. Keep it HOT for about 1 hour. (180 - 200 degrees F) Let cool overnight.

ALTERNATIVE: begin with hot tap water. "MORDANT" in a plastic bucket and let

it soak 3 to 5 days. (Lower temperature = more time). Silk is ready after soaking overnight. Tin, chrome and copper need to be heated to mordant well. Iron can be done cold. MEANWHILE, extract the dye:

in plenty of water, (enough to loosely cover by several extra inches,) BOIL UP YOUR CHOSEN DYESTUFF: FLOWERS - boil 20 minutes; strain off the water to make the dyebath. BARKS, ROOTS, DYEWOODS - soak overnight, boil 1/2 hour, pour off and save the extract (this is the dye solution), add more water and boil again. Do this boiling and saving three times to make the dyebath. -or more times, as long as dye continues to extract. COCHINEAL - if ground, boil 20 minutes; if whole, proceed as for barks. Add enough additional water to the dye solution so the textile can move freely in the dyebath. Add the textile and heat to hot. Heat 1 hour or until the colour is the desired depth. Remember, the colour will lighten after it is rinsed and dried. If the colour is too light, use more dyestuff. (But do not use more mordant.) Now is the time to modify the colour, if desired, with the additional mordant of iron. (See directions, below.) Cool the textile, rinse and dry. Handle the fibre according to its form: o Fibre should be gently swooshed in several changes of water, squeezed out and removed from its mesh bag only after it is partly dry. Then pull it gently to smooth and groom the roving. o Yarn should be rinsed with an up and down motion to help remove tangles and smooth it. Wring thoroughly. Shake out and twist it while drying, to soften.
o

Step 2 - Dyeing

Fabric can be run thru a wash cycle, without soap, in a machine; then tumbled dry to soften.

Adjusting the Color IRON "AFTER-MORDANT" TO MODIFY COLOURS: Dissolve about 1 tablespoon of ferrous sulphate per pound textile. Add to the dyebath, or fill a bucket with warm water, add the iron and transfer the textile to this "after mordant" bath. This is an important technique to know, for iron will turn golds to moss greens, reds to plum and maroon colours, and will darken browns. Many leaves and plants will make

grey with iron as the only mordant needed.

Always remember: have fun and treasure the unique. More from Aurora Silk:

Information Dyeing with Indigo Dyeing with Logwood Natural Fabric Paint Dyes Shop Buy Natural Dyes Buy Mordants Books and Publications

For more detailed dyeing recipes, read Brilliant Colors! by Cheryl Kolander.

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1.

Equipment and Materials Use big pots with plenty of room for the material to move freely. Otherwise the colour will dye very unevenly. Since these recipes use only alum and iron for mordants, and completely non-toxic dyestuffs, any type of pot is ok to use. If you work just with alum and iron, most dye

work can be done in plastic buckets with the cold soak method below (except the dye extraction itself). Stainless steel or unchipped enamel are recommended. Aluminum pots will take more scrubbing to clean, and may stain permanently with dark dyes. Iron darkens colours, so iron pots should be used only with recipes that call for iron. Just make sure you scrub your pot thoughly after use or you may end up witn pink spaghetti. If other mordants are used, use a stainless steel pot dedicated only to dyework because there will always be residue and you wouldn't want to eat from these pots. Aurora Silk sells a full selection of natural dyes and mordants. For ideas on which dyes and which mordants to use, view our Natural Dye Color Chart. Step 1 - Preparing material and dye Mordanting your fiber material:

WEIGH your textile material. All recipes are proportional, just as in cooking. ALUM: Divide the weight of the material to dye BY FOUR. Weight out that much alum mordant. A scant two tablespoons equals one ounce of alum. Add the alum to the pot, and almost fill with warm water. Leave enough room to add the wet textile material. Stir until fully dissolved. OTHER MORDANTS: oz (two teaspoons) per pound fiber for tin, chrome, iron and copper. Wet out the textile in warm water. Add the wet textile. Gently stir so that it is opened out in the solution.

HEAT until the pot is hot, stirring occasionally for evenness of colour. Keep it HOT for about 1 hour. (180 200 degrees F) Let cool overnight.

ALTERNATIVE: begin with hot tap water. "MORDANT" in a plastic bucket and let it soak 3 to 5 days. (Lower temperature = more time). Silk is ready after soaking overnight. Tin, chrome and copper need to be heated to mordant well. Iron can be done cold. MEANWHILE, extract the dye:

in plenty of water, (enough to loosely cover by several extra inches,) BOIL UP YOUR CHOSEN DYESTUFF: FLOWERS boil 20 minutes; strain off the water to make the dyebath. BARKS,

ROOTS, DYEWOODS soak overnight, boil 1/2 hour, pour off and save the extract (this is the dye solution), add more water and boil again. Do this boiling and saving three times to make the dyebath. -or more times, as long as dye continues to extract.

COCHINEAL if ground, boil 20 minutes; if whole, proceed as for barks. Add enough additional water to the dye solution so the textile can move freely in the dyebath. Add the textile and heat to hot. Heat 1 hour or until the colour is the desired depth. Remember, the colour will lighten after it is rinsed and dried.

Step 2 - Dyeing

If the colour is too light, use more dyestuff. (But do not use more mordant.) Now is the time to modify the colour, if desired, with the additional mordant of iron. (See directions, below.) Cool the textile, rinse and dry. Handle the fibre according to its form: o Fibre should be gently swoosh ed in several changes of water, squeeze d out and remove d from its mesh bag only after it is partly dry. Then pull it gently to

smooth and groom the roving. Yarn should be rinsed with an up and down motion to help remove tangles and smooth it. Wring thoroug hly. Shake out and twist it while drying, to soften. Fabric can be run thru a wash cycle, without soap, in a machine ; then tumbled dry to soften.

Adjusting the Color IRON "AFTERMORDANT" TO MODIFY COLOURS: Dissolve about 1 tablespoon of ferrous sulphate per pound textile. Add to the dyebath, or fill a bucket with warm water, add the iron and transfer the textile to this "after mordant" bath. This is an important technique to know, for iron will turn golds to moss greens, reds to plum and maroon colours, and will darken browns. Many leaves and plants will make grey with iron as the only mordant needed.

Always remember: have fun and treasure the unique. More from Aurora Silk:

Information Dyeing with Indigo Dyeing with Logwood Natural Fabric Paint Dyes Shop Buy Natural Dyes Buy Mordants

Books and Publications

For more detailed dyeing recipes, read Brilliant Colors! by Cheryl Kolander.

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Dyeing with Indigo - Natural Fermentation Vat

Why Indigo? click to enlarge Indigo is a dye different than any other. It does not require any Buy Indigo mordant. Rather it is dyed through a living fermentation process. The process "reduces" the Indigo, changing it from blue to yellow. In this state, it dissolves in an alkaline solution. The fibre is worked in the solution, or "vat". When brought out to the air, it is a bright green. Slowly the air changes it to the beautiful deep and rich blue of Indigo. Indigo in some form is used in all traditional cultures, for it is the only clear and fast natural blue. Indigo dyeing was one of the first speciality professions. Yet it is easy to keep a home pot going, and most colonial homesteads had one. This recipe is the one most commonly used for home dyeing. It contains no harsh chemicals nor toxic metals. It can be used to dye any natural fibre. An additional beauty of dark Indigo is that when ironed or pounded, the blue cloth takes on a beautiful coppery sheen - the same sheen that is seen on the well reduced Indigo vat, when it is ready for dyeing. Indigo: Natural Vermentation Vat NOTE: requires advance preparation of about one week.

4 oz. ground Indigo 2 oz. ground Madder 2 oz. wheat bran (buy at any health food store)

12 oz. washing soda ("soda ash")

(above amounts are by weight ounces, not volume ounces.) Combine in about a three gallon pot of warm water. Always add these amounts in proportion. A larger vat can be made, for example with: 1 lb. ground indigo, 1/2 lb ground madder, 1/2 lb ground bran and 3 lbs washing soda in about a 10 gallon plastic tub. However, I advise starting small, till you are comfortable with the process. The size of the pot is determined by the amount of fobre you need to dye at one time. A three gallon pot is good for yarn skeins of 4 to 6 oz., while a 10 gallon or larger tub will be needed for yards of fabric. WARMTH: It is necessary to keep the vat warm, but not hot, around 100 - 110 Fahrenheit. It is the same temperature for raising bread or making yogurt. It should feel pleasantly warm to the hand. To keep it warm, a light bulb in a reflector can be put under the vat, with a blanket over it to keep in the heat. (See illustration, next page.) In a warm climate no additional heat is needed, but be sure the vat is out of direct sun so it does not overheat. TIME is very important. It takes time for the vat to ferment and it does no good to try to rush the process. The first time, it takes about a week for the vat to ferment and be ready to dye. With "renewals" the time needed is a bit less, four or five days. It takes time to do the dyeing. The fibre is "dipped" several times to build up a dark color, with airing between each dip. The vat itself lasts a long time. I have had my current vat over fifteen years. In traditional cultures there are vats over 100 years old. The vat is "renewed" with more Indigo and the other ingredients in proportion, whenever the dye value weakens. Then let sit a few days to re-ferment. Indigo dyeing by this natural fermentation method is a slow-steady process. It is good meditation. Stir the vat once a day. The idea is to integrate the undissolved Indigo, madder and bran that settles to the bottom, back into solution. And to do this without incorporating air into the vat. So stir gently. Keep the vat covered. Air is the enemy of a good Indigo vat. The level of liquid in the pot should just allow room for the yarn dyeing, without spilling. The less air between surface and lid the better. I use a domed lid, turned upside down. If you leave more than 2" of air at the top of the vat, it will not reduce properly. The vat is ready for dyeing when:

It develops a coppery film on the top of the vat. The liquid, lifted carefully in a glass jar, will appear green.

A test piece of fibre or paper will emerge green and turn blue in the air.

Now is the exciting time to begin Indigo dyeing! 1. Wet your fibre out very well in warm water. It must be well wet out. Any air remaining in the fibre will oxidize Indigo in the vat, and this must be avoided. 2. Put on rubber gloves! You don't want to scare people with blue hands; also the strongly alkaline vat may irritate your skin. 3. Enter the fibre (yarn/fabric) into the vat very carefully, to avoid adding any air to the vat. Now the fibre must be "worked" in the vat, under the surface. It should not be stirred, but with your gloved hands, gently, slowly and deliberately squeeze the liquid through the fibre while you hold it under the surface. Any time you break the surface you introduce air into the vat and this you do not want to do. 4. After you have worked it several minutes, carefully and slowly raise it out of the vat, squeezing the excess Indigo solution back into the vat. Do this squeezing as close to the surface as you can, as dropping liquid will bring air into the vat. 5. The fibre should be a bright clear green. It will start to turn blue in the air immediately. Lay it out on newspaper and let it air for 20 minutes. Repeat the dips up to five times for dark Indigo Blue. Air between each dip. For lighter shades, fewer dips are needed. 6. Rinse well. Then leave the fibre to air overnight. Soak and do a final rinse in the morning. The vat lasts indefinitely. It is begun with a certain amount of Indigo, and all other ingredients as given, in proportion. Dyeing is begun, with the darkest color dyed first, then medium, then lights. Between dyeings the vat must rest overnight or an extra day. This is because, during dyeing a certain amount of the Indigo is oxidized in the vat. Allowing it to rest lets it re-reduce that Indigo. An oxidized (blue colored) vat won't dye well. The Indigo color will only wash out and rub off too quickly. When the vat is "exhausted", and will only dye light shades, it is time to renew it. All ingredients are again added, again in correct proportion. The vat is let to ferment for several days, and is ready to dye when it shows the proper signs. In this way a vat can be kept going for many years. If one wishes to rest from dyeing for several weeks, simply turn off the heat source, and keep the vat cool for that period. Stir it vigorously on occasion. When ready to dye again, warm it up, renew it with the ingredients, and proceed as before. It is not good to leave a vat unused for too long, as it is a living process and may then get cranky about starting up again. Also it is important to exhaust the vat before leaving it, or it may over-ferment and ruin any Indigo remaining in it. Over time a deposit of sludge will develop at the bottom of the vat. You may want to gently lower a screen into the vat before dyeing, to keep your fibre from pickinging itup

during the dye process. Be sure to remove the screen after the day's dyeing, so you can stir the vat before closing it. For greens, dye you fibre Indigo first, then rinse well and overdye with alum mordant and your chosen yellow dye. For purples, dye the Indigo first, rinse well, then mordant and dye over with any red dye. The indigo vat is very alkaline. It is important to rinse out all the alkalinity. Just to be on the safe side, I always double rinse my indigo dyed textiles. First I rinse well just after dyeing, then I let air overnight. Next day I soak in two successive waters for about an hour each time, rinse again, wring and dry. Squeeze solution through yarn for best penetration. Always work under the surface of the vat. Always wear rubber gloves. More About Indigo Indigofera is a legume. The plant looks similar to alfalfa, but is usually larger. It is an excellent rotational crop for increasing soil fertility. In southern Mexico, where some of the current Indigo of commerce originates, it is naturalized and grows in fallow fields, so no effort is spent cultivating it. Indigo dye must be prepared from the fresh plant in an exacting and elaborate process that takes about a month. The Indigo plants are harvested and brought to a central location. They are soaked in water and allowed to ferment. This separates the dyestuff from the plant. The solution is then beaten to oxidize and precipitate the Indigo. Excess water is poured off and the sludge is dried. This sludge, packed into balls or patties and fully dried, is the Indigo dye of commerce. This Indigo comes to us in the form of a hard, dark blue colored cake. It must be ground to be used for dyeing. Very small amounts can be ground in a mortar and pestle. Use a bit of water to facilitate grinding and keep down the dust. A Corona Corn mill is what I use. Meat grinders also work. A zip-loc baggie cinched over the grinding plates catches all the powder and keeps blue dust from getting everywhere. In most traditional cultures, the color(s) of ones clothing indicates ones status or class. Indigo blue has long been associated with the less than aristocratic classes. Indigo blue has still the association of "The Working Class". We use the distinction as "Blue Collar Workers" and "Blue Jeans". These clothes were originally dyed with indigo. In the past, Indigo has been a prolific dyestuff. It is relatively easy to grow and dye, and is quite fast. It withstands well the many washings that work clothes require. In most cultures, Indigo dyeing is or was a specialty. The dye process is unique, and the facilities require a stable set-up. Vats made of great clay pots set in the ground are commonly used in warmer climates. If more heat is needed, pits for burning charcoal are placed between clusters of the vats.

Indigo dyeing is practiced today in Japan, Southern China, Tibet, India, Indonesia, Indo China, Africa, especially Nigeria, Southern Mexico and Guatemala, and it has recently been reintroduced to Turkey. Traditional fermentation methods are used. However, many of these cultures now use synthetic Indigo, manufactured from coal tar or petroleum. Natural Indigo contains several related dye chemicals that give different shades of blue. As much as twenty percent of the dye may be a violet tone called Indigo Red. These complexities give Natural Indigo nuances and depths that cannot be achieved with the synthetic substitute. Here is a page with more about the chemical properties of indigo. An additional beauty of dark Indigo Blue, is that when ironed or pounded, cloth so dyed takes a coppery sheen - the same sheen we see on the top of the well reduced Indigo vat.