What You Need
Indigo kit (I use Jacquard. Around $25 online)
Two plastic buckets (not the one you use for dishes)
Gloves that go up to your elbows
100% cotton or linen (nothing synthetic)
A balcony or outdoor space (your kitchen will smell weird)
What Every Beginner Should Know
Watch your temperature
The dye bath needs to stay between 70 and 80 degrees. Too cold and nothing happens. Too hot and the indigo dies.
I learned to check the weather before starting. A cloudy 75-degree day is perfect. My first batch was during a cold snap. Left the bucket outside for four hours. The fabric came out gray-blue. Not the deep blue I wanted.
Don't squeeze
After you dip your fabric, let it drip over the bucket. Then hang it up. Never squeeze.
I squeezed my second batch because I was impatient. All the oxygen got forced out. The color never developed. Just stayed pale and sad.
The fabric needs to hit air slowly. That's how blue appears. You'll watch it change from greenish-yellow to blue right in front of you. Takes about ten minutes.
Three dips minimum
One dip gives you pale sky blue. Two dips gives you medium. Three or four gives you that deep denim color.
I dipped my third batch once. Hung it up. Came back an hour later and thought "that's it?" Now I do three dips no matter what. Dip. Let it oxidize for fifteen minutes. Dip again. Repeat.
Use good water
Tap water has chlorine. Chlorine fights with indigo.
My fifth batch turned out splotchy. I thought I did something wrong. Then I read the instructions again. It said distilled water. I switched to gallon jugs from the drugstore. Two dollars. The difference was huge.
My Setup Now
The buckets live on my balcony. One for the dye bath. One for rinsing. I keep the lid on when I'm not using it.
The dye bath lasts about a week if I cover it. After that, it starts to smell and the color gets weak.
I dip small things first. Napkins. T-shirts. A pillowcase I didn't care about. Once I got comfortable, I tried a cotton dress. That one came out perfect on the first try because I finally stopped rushing.
Indigo is worth the trouble. The blue is like nothing else. Deep but soft. Feels old in a good way.
Try it with one napkin first. Not a whole pile of clothes. See if you have the patience for it. Take a picture of what you make and put it in the comments. I want to see your first blue.
