Catharine Ellis, Jacquard woven shibori, indigo dyed

Sometime ago Yoshiko asked me to occasionally provide some useful input to the Dye Nerds Blog.  I thought that I might offer the following tutorial on how I solved a problem with my own organic indigo vat as a first contribution. I have been making and using organic indigo vats since 2011, when I first learned about them from Michel Garcia. It is the same vat that he introduces in the DVD, Colors of Provence.

The maintenance of an organic indigo vat is a blend of art and science.  As the user gains familiarity with the process, this becomes more intuitive.  A key part of ensuring acceptable results from the vat is making sure that it stays in strong “reduction” and this can only be accomplished by observing the vat’s color and surface as an indication of it’s health and reacting appropriately…