The soft color from the natural dyes is significantly different from the vivid color with chemical dyes. We enjoy the color of Natural Dye Sashiko thread, especially in a process of making “Boro” so that both fabric and thread can age – change color – together with overtime. We repeatedly tested the color stability, either if the color fades out by washing, before introducing them online. However, the Natural Dyed & Hand Dyed Sashiko thread & fabric require some attention and understanding of how to handle. The color will not be washed away by regular care for the natural dye. However, we do not recommend to throw them to the washing machine with detergent (which may have kind of “bleach” in it). Here, we introduce how to handle Natural Dye Thread and Fabric.
“Don’t” do list | Handle Natural Dye Thread with care.
First of all, please never use “Bleach” in washing and to handle Natural Dye thread. One wash with bleach may (and most likely “will”) completely wash away the natural color and make it bright white. The bleach is strong enough to do its job – to make it bright white.
The point we have to pay attention here is that some of “regular detergent” may contain the same chemical as the bleach in it. For example, if a detergent say “stain removal”, then the detergent may be too strong for the Natural Dye color.
Also, putting the Natural Dye thread and fabric in the water with detergent for a long time is not a good idea. The more time the color touches the detergent, the more color may be washed away.
Do list | How to well Handle Natural Dye Thread
Generally speaking, the natural dye doesn’t go well with the chemical detergent. In need of using the detergent, please choose the “Neutral Detergent”. Although it is quite easy to find them in Japan, I do not find the neutral detergent easily in the US (we can find them but quite expensive). In that case, please try to find the “gentle” or “soft” detergent and make sure to test the thread and fabric if the color will be washed out or not. In my experience, most of the color will stay on unless the detergent is “gentle” and washed gently. However, as a baseline, please handle Natural Dye thread with maximum Care.
Summary of Do and Don’t
Do:
- Hand-wash with no detergent. Or gentle wash with Neutral Detergent.
Don’t:
- Using Bleach, or strong detergent which may contain Bleach.
- Machine wash with long-cycle (or extra wash cycle).
- Leave the thread or fabric in water (with detergent) for a long time.
Understand the reaction process
It is probably difficult to find a “Natural Dye” items in the mass-produced market. It is because the process of natural-dye requires a lot of attention and care. The color from nature will not stay on the thread or fabric by dipping them into a vat. It isn’t like a watercolor, putting paint on the paper.
The natural color stays on the thread and fabric by chemical reaction with a catalyst. We usually use the metal, such as iron or copper, to make the reaction happen. In another example, the Authentic Japanese Indigo Dye (Hon-Aizome), they use the oxidation process to create such a beautiful blue. The fabric and thread right after dipped in the vat looks somewhat “gray” or “brown”. In a process of oxidation (touching the air that contains oxygen), the beautiful Japanese blue comes out.
The chemical reaction doesn’t mean using chemical materials. Here, chemical reaction equals to Oxidation and Reduction. Vinegar will make the liquid more acidic and ash (such as wood ash) make the water more alkalinity. Either of acidic and alkalinity affects the balance of Natural Dye and could end up with washing out the color or changing the color.
Therefore, we strongly recommend using natural detergent, or just water.
The natural dye before the Industrial Revolution
One of the big reasons we use the Natural Dye thread is to recreate the beauty of Japan in hundreds of years ago – before the industrial revolution. Back then, in Japan, they did not have the chemical (artificial) detergent or bleach to wash the fabric. They did not have a washing machine either.
Instead, they washed the fabric and thread by hands with care (attention). I hope you would do the same when you handle Natural Dye thread and fabric.
By the way, this is my personal endnote (which may contradict what I had written so far). Anyhow, I DO wash my Sashiko Stitched Denim with the gentle detergent in a washing machine… I had washed probably more than 100 times over 1~2 years, but I can still see the thread color. The yellow from mountain peach looks more like white, but it still has yellowish color (I believe). I always wash it separately, with a gentle cycle of the washing machine, with a small amount of detergent as I feel. I sometimes do not add the detergent, but at some point, the jeans get smelly that we need some detergent… I hope you can find your own way to handle Natural Dye thread and fabric.
Shop our Natural Dye Sashiko Thread
The Indigo Dye Sashiko Thread | Mono Color
Finally. We are happy to provide our Indigo Dye Sashiko Thread, dyed by Sashi.Co & Keiko Futatsuya.
【Update, December 2020】
Finally, we could restock the Indigo Thread in Covid-19. We used the new Sashiko Thread (prepared to be dyed) for creating more matte color. Due to the characteristic of hand-dye, the solid color may have small uneven spots on both A-1 and A-2. The evenness/variegation is not obvious as our M-Series. They are very beautiful same as the previous one.
【Update, May 2020】
Due to the Covid-19, we have very small inventory now. It is kind of difficult to face to the fact to have not much stuff to share. I decided to add "A-0", which is darker than the A-1 Dark Indigo Blue, from my collection. There are only a few skeins available, and we do not know if Keiko can reproduce the same color again. It is quite dark - like close to black.
【Color Choices】
● A-1 - Dark shade from Natural Indigo (Recent batch #0621 looks a bit lighter in shade in comparison to the previous batch. Please be careful if you would like to have the exact same darkness to the recent purchase. All of the batch has a different outcome - we dye about 10 skeins in each batch. I will update when we get the darker shade in future. If it end up with too dark, I will introduce it as A-0 again).
● A-2 - Light shade from Natural Indigo
● A-0 - Extra Dark shade from Natural Indigo - A little bit smaller skein than the others in comparison. (SOLD OUT).
*We are having a difficulty to create the completely "Solid" Indigo Color with the thread we improved in 2020. Some skein have a bit of uneven spots in Indigo Color. They are as beautiful and this happen because we hand-dye with natural dyes. Please contact me first if you have any concerns about the possible "Natural Dye Characteristic" so that I can assist you to find the best one for you.
*Since it is hand-dye with Natural ingredience, the color may slightly different in each batch. We dye about 15 skeins of thread in each batches. Please let me know if you prefer the "exact color" so that I can work on finding the thread from the same batch.
These are green shade we created as a by product of above Indigo Dye.
For the gradient & green shade Indigo Dye Sashiko Thread, we successfully recreated similar color of AYG and AYSG. Please refer to the "Murazome Indigo Dye" product page for the details.
https://upcyclestitches.com/store/2020-Spring-Mura...
Indigo Dye is one of the most challenging projects for dyers. When we dye thread with Indigo, we have to clean the whole area to avoid mixtures from the other Natural Dye. The dye process includes fermenting the Natural Indigo Liquid. Please be advised, however, this thread is NOT dyed with Non/Sei Indigo Dye.
Product Information
- Manufacture in Japan, hand dyed by Keiko Futatsuya
- Material : Egyptian Cotton 100%, Natural Indigo (mostly product of India), Solution for Dye
- Length : About 145 meter per skein
- Weight : About 27 g
*This page is for Indigo Dye Sashiko Thread
*Please refer to the article regarding our Natural Indigo Dye Sashiko Thread for more information about the types and procedure of our Indigo Dye. This product is not following the "Authentic & Japanese traditional Indigo Dye, so called Hon-Aizome (Sei-Aizome)"
*Please read the article of How to handle Natural Dye Thread and Fabric.
https://upcyclestitches.com/how-to-handle-natural-dye-thread-fabric/