HOW TO DYE WITH FRESH LEAF INDIGO | BLENDER METHOD | ORGANIC COLOR | BLUE GREEN | THE COLOR FARM

[@russambrichisenon6401]

Thank you. Learned a lot for my dye project. Watching from Davao City, Philippines

[@MargaretByrdColorQuest]

How wonderful to hear 💙 Welcome to Color Quest!

[@jhughs456]

I may have found a use for that juicer in the back of the pantry 😉

[@MargaretByrdColorQuest]

Love it!! I have slowly turned pieces if my kitchen utensils into dedicated dye tools. Repurposing is fun 😊

[@viktorandkseniabarengolts2232]

My favourite time of the week! Thank you for this video, the blue hands rock!

[@MargaretByrdColorQuest]

So sweet of you to say 🥰 Hope you get to dip your hands in the blue too 💙

[@botanicaltreasures2408]

I'm amazed the wooden beads took the dye so well. I would have never thought to try them. Neat!

[@MargaretByrdColorQuest]

Yes, it was a really nice experiment 💚 I wold love to explore more dyeing with wood in my own practice, so will have to film some more with this substrate 😊

[@botanicaltreasures2408]

@@MargaretByrdColorQuest I look forward to seeing the results of dyeing wood.

[@anuralatha]

Im a learner,lernt a lot from you!Thank you!

[@MargaretByrdColorQuest]

It's so much fun to learn together, so happy you are here 😊

[@polaroiddiva]

Just purchased some green indigo powder as I read in a blog about the use of this. I also just purchased some indigo seeds to grow my own. Am interested to see how this could be done with shibori methods.

[@MargaretByrdColorQuest]

Cool that you purchased the green indigo powder 💚 I've never tried it, but have it on my list to test it out in the future. I did plant Japanese indigo last year from seed and had wonderful leaves for fresh leaf grinding and pounding last summer. You can watch videos on planting from seed and some of the projects I did with them in the library 😊 Hoping to plant more seeds in the coming weeks directly into pots outside this year!

[@bjchadwick4261]

Love your videos. Great information. I also appreciate your clear enunciation!

[@MargaretByrdColorQuest]

Many thanks to you, BJ! Always great to hear that the videos are informative and easy to understand. Thanks for joining here at Color Quest 💚

[@somepinkflowers]

Oooh ‼️ The range of colors 💕💕💕 Fortunate you for having access to fresh leaf indigo. 🌿 Thank you so much for sharing your CoLoRfuL experiments. 👏🏽👏🏽💕👏🏽🌸🌿🌿🌸

[@MargaretByrdColorQuest]

I honestly stumbled into the fresh leaf indigo and feel so lucky to find it locally and right at harvest time 💙 It is truly magical to work with!

[@hildacasas8764]

Love your videos!

[@MargaretByrdColorQuest]

Why thank you!!

[@zjho_art]

Margaret! You're wonderful! So sweet teaching your entire career I study in the natural life the color I discovered you a few days ago and I translate your words and knowledge I loved meeting you and I learn a lot it is very interesting and watching your videos, thank you very much for everything from chubut Patagonia Argentina much love 💛💛💛🌼🌼🌼🙏🙏🥰🥰🥰🌞🌞🌞🌷🌷🌷😘😘😘

[@MargaretByrdColorQuest]

You are very sweet, Jhoanna 💕 Welcome to Color Quest! I hope you find inspiration here and in your dye pot. One day, I hope to travel to Patagonia. It is high on my list of beautiful lands to explore 🌼 Eres muy dulce, Jhoanna 💕 ¡Bienvenida a Color Quest! Espero que encuentres inspiración aquí y en tu tintero. Algún día, espero viajar a la Patagonia. Está en lo alto de mi lista de hermosas tierras para explorar 🌼

[@SarabMatharu]

Really enjoyed this. Definitely going to try it! Thank you for sharing!❤️

[@MargaretByrdColorQuest]

It is soooo much fun! I'm going to be blending up a fresh batch this weekend. Enjoy 💚

[@MsSavvy9]

🤔 I have these tea bags that I can try as a second filter... maybe Great video. I kept missing parts and starting over hahahaha

[@MargaretByrdColorQuest]

Great idea! I hope to work on lake pigments this year, so will be looking for larger coffee filters which could work here as well. The cheese cloth is easy and cheap to find in the grocery store, but the leaves did get caught up and filtered through. Easy to miss the little bits - trust me. Most viewers only catch the highlights anyway, so thank you for sticking with it 😊

[@cheinz]

I'm seeing this footage 2 years later, but I have a question: what type of indigo is this? Is it Indigofera tinctoria? I notice it's cut before the blossoms emerge.

[@MargaretByrdColorQuest]

This is Persicaria tinctoria, aka Japanese indigo. You are correct, it is harvested before it flowers. Give it a try if you have access - it is super fun to work with 💙

[@fatemehsafarapour6375]

♥️♥️♥️

[@MargaretByrdColorQuest]

Hearts back at you, Fatemeh! Happy you enjoyed the video 💙

[@onionioni5767]

Wow, Thank-you for sharing your knowledge. You said japanese indigo is best for fresh leaf. Tinctoria is best for vats. What's the best way to process indigofera suffruticosa in your opinion? I grew it this year and will be doing a fermentation process i saw online, involves aeration, and will be drying the pigment. *also will be experimenting with the indirubin in the excess water.

[@MargaretByrdColorQuest]

You are most welcome - thank you for taking the time to share your dye journey with indigo too 💙 The term 'tinctoria' is used with many dye plants beyond indigo that produce color. If you see this word in the formal species name, you know it holds color. Japanese indigo is Persicaria tinctoria and is a great option for working with fresh leaf. I'm unfamiliar with using other types of fresh leaf, but it is also possible to use Persicaria tinctoria for vat dyeing as well after drying/fermenting the leaves. Looks like indigofera suffruticosa is the indigo plant native to Guatemala and used in vat dyeing. Sounds like you have a great plan to ferment the leaves to make powder which you can use in your vat. Let me know how your experiments go with indirubin. I'm intrigued by welcoming the reddish hues, but have never had the time to test it out. Might get to it with some home grown Japanese indigo when I'm back in my studio in October 😊

[@aaziz26]

Nice video. I want to grow indigo in my garden in NJ 07052. Please advise me how to grow this plant. Thanks Arshad

[@MargaretByrdColorQuest]

Many thanks, Arshad. I have never grown fresh leaf indigo myself, but I understand it is quite easy to grow in many different climates, so I would imagine the NJ area would also work. It has been suggested to start growing in a contained pot so you can control how much it spreads, so perhaps you can try this early next spring. There are a few seed companies that you can find on-line that sell indigo to grow in a home garden. You will love it - best of luck!

[@debrawalls1379]

What plants could you use to have the materials stay the chartreuse color?

[@MargaretByrdColorQuest]

The bright greenish color of indigo is wonderful, but it is quickly oxidized to the beautiful blues we all know and love. The yellowish green of chartreuse may be possible by playing with different kinds of yellow dyes and experimenting with shifting colors with mordants/modifiers. Alum pretreated silk, for example, can brighten some yellow dyes to what may be considered a chartreuse color. Sasha Duerr's 'Natural Palettes' book has loads of plant suggestions that could potentially give you the color your looking for, but it will take some experimentation. Here are a few to consider: mandarin/grapefruit peels, culinary sage, wild fennel, carrot tops, sour grass, yerba mate. I've tried many of these with various results 💛💚💛

[@anitamangakahia2142]

May I ask the type of alum you used for this mordant?

[@MargaretByrdColorQuest]

I used pickling alum (aluminum potassium sulfate) which is recommended for protein fibers. However, a mordant is not needed for indigo - I just like to mordant all of my fibers anyway 😊

[@SusannahWilliams-k6g]

How did you get the difference in colour from green to blue? And how many leaves to water ratio do you use? Whats the quantity of leaves you need to for dye yo doe one piece of clothing?

[@MargaretByrdColorQuest]

Thanks for dropping by, Susannah 😊 The color you get from fresh leaf indigo varies based on many factors, but the type of fiber you use can often give you different shades of the light blue vs. greenish blue hues. Every time I work with fresh leaf, I am happily surprised with the variation of colors - it's like a gorgeous gift every time 💙💚💙 The amount of leaves you use is dependent on the weight of dry fiber, not the liquid amount of water. The suggested ratio of dry leaves to weight of fiber (W.O.F) is 4:1. That means you need 4 times the weight of leaves as the weight of fiber. You can always use less leaves which will typically result in a lighter shade. When you are using the blender method, you are adding just enough super cold water to make a thick 'smoothie' type consistency. You will have to use your gut on this as you are blending, and I suggest you add water slowly. The video gives you a decent demo of all of this, so watch again, give it a try and have fun!

[@SusannahWilliams-k6g]

Thank you! Thats super helpful ❤​@MargaretByrdColorQuest

[@MargaretByrdColorQuest]

@@SusannahWilliams-k6g You are most welcome!

[@chaoticgoodcouture]

what are those beautiful flowers behind u ?!

[@MargaretByrdColorQuest]

Those are dyer's coreopsis - one of my favorites! Good eye 😊 I have a few videos about this dye flower, so check them out and give it a try 🧡💛❤

[@verna0072001]

with the salt, it seems more colourful.

[@MargaretByrdColorQuest]

I also prefer the salt rub method and love the color 💚

[@jessicabey275]

Is indigo plants the same? I am looking at seeds or plants and there's different varieties. The indigo you used isn't what I see while looking

[@jessicabey275]

I found an article on wild colors 😊

[@MargaretByrdColorQuest]

There are a few varieties, but Japanese indigo which is common for fresh leaf is persicaria tinctoria. This is what was grown on the color farm and what I planted as seedlings this year. Vat indigo is typically indigofera tinctoria. I would recommend growing persicaria tinctoria to use for fresh leaf extraction.

[@jessicabey275]

@@MargaretByrdColorQuest Thank you!

[@NorainiBaba]

To clean colour blue in hand, you cant use jus lemon

[@MargaretByrdColorQuest]

I have not had success in removing indigo from skin with lemon juice, but you can certainly try it 😊