Mesmerizing Indigo Dye: Two Simple Projects from Fresh Leaves

The Magic of Indigo

Have you ever wondered if your garden could double as your art studio? Are you endlessly inspired by the beautiful shapes, details, and colors found in nature? Let me show you the magic of using fresh indigo leaves for dye and printing.

This is my second summer growing indigo (Persicaria tinctoria) in my garden for dye purposes. Indigo loves my hot, wet climate here in Louisiana, but it can be coaxed into growing well in other areas too. Extracting the deep blue pigment is a fascinating process, and the pigment can be used to make dye, ink, or paint. Be sure to check out my blog post and video all about extracting indigo.

This summer, I have been extracting indigo pigment, but I also wanted to branch out and try using fresh leaves to dye fabric. Thanks to the internet, I’ve learned that fresh indigo leaves will yield color through a few methods. I decided to try two: the hammering method and the salt rub method. Both were definitely beginner projects for me, but I’m really happy with the outcomes! These two crafts are very approachable and don’t require a lot of equipment or expertise to get basic, pretty results. I encourage you to try!

Growing Fresh Indigo in Your Garden

• Choosing the Right Indigo Variety: There are a few varieties of indigo. Some are grown only for their flowers and don’t yield any dye. There are a couple dye varieties, but from my limited knowledge, I believe that Persicaria tinctoria is the best option for fresh leaf indigo dye projects.
• Starting seeds: Indigo seeds do not stay viable for long -do not use old seeds. You will want to use indigo seeds from the previous year for best germination. Sow the seeds indoors 6 weeks before your last frost date. Sprinkle on top of the growing medium and then sprinkle with a little dirt to cover. They do not like to be planted deep. Keep the soil constantly moist using a spray bottle -they will not sprout if the soil is dry. Once they sprout, keep them under grow lights and keep the soil moist. When the seedlings outgrow their germination containers, they are easy to separate and pot up.
• Cultivation Tips: Before planting, have your soil tested to ensure it is well balanced (you may need fertilizer or a PH amendment) and amend with compost or manure (my rabbits help with this!) Indigo can be harvested repeatedly as it grows back from being cut. To get the most harvests possible, start seeds indoors and transplant outside as early as possible, but be sure it is after all danger of frost. Frost will kill indigo. Plant your indigo in a sunny place and give it plenty of water. You can also grow indigo in pots.
• Harvesting Fresh Leaves: When the indigo plants are about 18″ tall, you can cut the indigo down to about 6″ tall for your first harvest. At this point, you can pluck off the leaves and do the projects below. Don’t pick or cut your indigo until you are ready to do your project. If necessary, you can put cut stems into a vase of cool water, but keep them in a cool place and use them within the same day.

Project 1 – Fresh Indigo Hammered Leaf Prints

Materials Needed:

• Hammer
• small board
• fabric or clothing in a pale color, made of natural fibers. Silk works best, but you can use wool, cotton, or linen, or a blend of the above. Synthetic fibers will not work well.
• packing tape or ziploc plastic bag

Step-by-Step Process:

• Preparing the Fabric: Pre-wash and dry the fabric. Iron if necessary.
• Arranging the Leaves: Position the leaves right onto your fabric, facing up. Once you have your design laid out, tape it down with the clear packing tape. Or, if your fabric is too delicate for tape, place a clear ziploc bag over the leaves. You can choose to do one leaf at a time, or lay out a whole design at once. You can always add more leaf prints later on. If you are printing on clothing, you may want to put a piece of cardboard or plastic between layers, to avoid transferring prints through to the back of your clothing.
• Hammering Technique: With the packing tape or ziploc bag covering the leaves, place the board under the design, wherever you will be hammering. Hammer all over the leaves with lots of small taps. Periodically peel back the leaves to check whether the dye is transferring. The dye color will be bright green at first. Keep hammering until you can clearly see the whole leaf print.
• Finishing Touches: Carefully peel off all the tape and leaves. The dye will be bright green and slowly oxidize to blue or teal. Leave your printed item out to oxidize for 24 hours. Then, wash and dry the item in whatever manner is appropriate for the fiber type. Hot water is not recommended.
• Tips: You can also do hammered indigo leaf prints on paper to make beautiful stationery. (Don’t use the packing tape, or wash the paper for this project!)

Project 2 – Fresh Indigo Salt Rub Dye

Materials Needed:

• Fresh indigo leaves (The amount is variable. To dye a large piece of fabric into a dark color, you need a lot more leaves than to dye a small piece a pale color. A 3:1 ratio of leaves to fabric weight is a good place to start for a medium blue result. Since this was my first time, I was experimenting and wasn’t worried about achieving a specific shade. I had a lot of fabric and it ended up very pale blue.)
• Salt (Typically only a teaspoon to a tablespoon is needed, depending on how many leaves you are using. You need just enough to draw out the moisture in the leaves when pressure is applied through rubbing.)
• Natural fabric (silk or wool works best, and the size is variable as noted above)
• A container to work in
• Optional: a blender and strainer

Step-by-Step Process:

• Preparing the Fabric: Thoroughly soak the fabric in cool water.
• Rubbing with salt: Place the leaves into the container and sprinkle with salt. Massage and squeeze the leaves with your hands to draw out the green liquid within the leaves. Let the liquid drip back into the container. Add more leaves and salt as necessary to create the amount of dye you’d like to use. At any point while massaging, you can add the fabric. Massage the fabric to soak it in the dye liquid.
  • Optional: put the salt and leaves in a blender and puree, instead of massaging by hand. Pour out the puree into your container and add the fabric.
  • Also optional: strain the liquid from the leaves before adding the fabric to the liquid. This will create a more even dye with less blotches from leaf bits.
• Oxidize: Remove the fabric from the dye liquid and hang to dry (do not rinse yet.) When fully dry, wash, rinse, and dry the fabric according to its specific care needs. Hot water is not recommended.
• Tip: Indigo dye is fairly light fast, but keep your dyed fabric out of direct sunlight to avoid fading.

Indigo Dye from Fresh Leaves: An Accessible Art Project

Dyeing with fresh indigo leaves is quick, fun, and satisfying. It doesn’t require unusual equipment or ingredients. It’s safe for kids. It connects the garden to the art studio. The hammered leaf prints and salt rub dye show us how something as simple as a plant can bring depth, color, and beauty to our everyday lives. The process of working with fresh indigo is so enchanting because it offers a unique blend of creating art and connecting to the garden.

I hope this post has inspired you to try your hand at growing indigo, to experiment with the leaves from your own garden, and to create something beautiful. If you want a more in-depth online course on this topic, I recommend checking out The Dogwood Dyer. Don’t forget to share your creations and thoughts in the comments—I’d love to see how you bring indigo’s magic into your world. And if you’re looking for indigo seeds, I may have some available this winter!

Thank you for joining me on this gorgeous blue journey, and I can’t wait to see what you create! Watch my video below to see my first experiments with these projects. I printed a shirt and a scarf, and dyed a length of silk yardage with the salt rub method. I already sewed a simple dress from the yardage, but I think I would like to dye it a deeper shade sometime soon. Indigo is constantly inspiring to me!