2009-09-11

藍染 (Indigo dye)

Today we had an indigo dye workshop at the research center. Raw leaves were harvested at the research center and processed in a blender (500ml of water for every 50g of leaves). Then 5g of hydrated lime and 5g of Sodium hydrosulfite (Na2S2O4) were added for every 100ml of liquid processed indigo leaves. Apparently textiles of animal origin, such as wool and silk, don't require the hydrated lime and sodium hydrosulfite, but we were using cotton textiles. 500ml can dye approximately three handkerchiefs. Textiles are soaked in the mixture for 2-3 minutes, and then exposed to the air for 4-5 minutes. The process is repeated until the desired concentration of color is achieved. Textiles are then lightly washed in water and allowed to dry.

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