Singing the Blues…
I began my plan to collect and translate Japanese dye- and fiber-related books
way back in the 1970s while studying under a variety of traditional Japanese
craftspeople. I started with Make Your Own Japanese Clothes in 1988, and at last I’ve gotten around to indigo.
My goal has been to offer you a direct link to the original, traditional recipes
of Japan, while at the same time help you to understand how to adapt them to
suit your personal needs and environment.
Check out the Table of Contents and sample pages below.
The book is off-set printed on high-quality, hundred-pound paper, and is full
color.
$45 plus shipping (and sales tax for CA residents).
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refunded through PayPal once the book is shipped):
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Thank you for your interest!
TABLE OF CONTENTS
3....Dedication
5....Preface
9....Awa-Ai
11....Just What Is Indigo?
14...How to Grow Indigo
16...Direct from Raw Leaf to Fiber
24...Simply Raw Leaves, Water, Fiber
27...Cooked Raw Leaf and Enzyme Vat
29...Pushing the Color by Changing pH
29...Dyeing Cellulose Fibers with Fresh Leaves
30...Dyeing Silk with Pushed pH
32...Drying Indigo Leaves
35...Dyeing with Dry Indigo Leaves
36...Preparing Pigment from Cooked Leaves
37...Preparing Pigment from Fermented Leaves
42...Preparing Sukumo from Dry Leaves
44...Composting Dry Leaves
45...Mechanics of Reduction Vat vs. Fermentation Vat
46...Fermentation Vat with Sukumo I
48...Fermentation Vat with Sukumo II
50...Fermentation Vat with Doro-Ai
50...Reduction Vat with Chinden-Ai
52...Natural Reduction Vat with Doro-Ai
53...Direct Application of Pigments
54...Freehand Painting with Pigments
56...Printing with Pigments
57...Compound Techniques
60...Combining Vat Dyeing with Direct Pigment Application
62...Partnering with Indigo
65...Author’s Dyework
69...Contemporary and Vintage Japanese Works
74...Appendix
21.......Harite
24.......Hints for Dyeing with Fresh Leaves
40.......Aerating the Indoxyl
41.......Refining the Chinden Pigment
42.......Working with pH Paper
47.......Before You Begin to Dye
49.......Keeping Your Vat Healthy and Happy
74.......Review
75.......Chemical Names That May Be Helpful
76.......Varieties of Reduced Vats
77.......Color Fastness
80.......Soymilk
81.......Useful Tools and Equipment
83.......Synthetic Indigo
83.......Be Mindful
83.......Caution: Thiorea Dioxide vs. Sodium Dithionite
84.......For the Metrically Challenged
85...Image Credits
85...Contact Information
86...Sources Referenced in Preparing This Book
86...Great Indigo Sources on Web
86...Further Reading in English
87...Glossary
89...In Gratitude
