The Love of Colour : Clay Resist Kit
The newest beginner kit from The Love of Colour - to be used with their very popular indigo kit.
Contains the pre-measured ingredients to create a thickened clay paste, which you can print onto fabric using the method of your choice - paint, stencil, silk screen, wood block, lino cut print, etc.
Once printed and dried, you dye your fabric in indigo and the dye will resist where you have printed the clay, leaving these areas undyed while the rest of your fabric becomes blue. This technique only works with indigo, since clay paste is soluble in water and would wash off in other dye baths, but the unique qualities of the indigo vat mean that the clay holds up in the vat. When you are finished dyeing, you simply wash off the paste and reveal your design.
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Contents:
15g magnesium sulphate (epsom salts)
30g gum arabic
50g calcium bentonite clay
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This kit only includes the ingredients for the clay paste. You will need an indigo vat for the actual dyeing. You can use any type of indigo vat, including one made from The Love of Colour beginner Indigo Kit.
The paste can be used on any fabric made of natural fibres, such as cotton, linen, wool, silk, etc. We recommend using fabric without too much texture, and that you begin by using smaller pieces of fabric, rather than one large. Coloured or previously dyed fabric works as well. If your fabric is yellow, for example, it will remain yellow where you apply the paste, and will become green where it mixes with the blue from the indigo vat.
The quantity of fabric you can print and dye will depend on your design - if your design has a lot of "white space" or areas that will be resist printed, the paste will get used up quickly. If your design has finer lines and smaller areas of resist, you will be able to print more fabric. As a general ballpark, you can expect to resist print 2-4 yards of fabric.
Julie Sinden
Julie Sinden is an award-winning textile artist based in Toronto, originally from the shores of Lake Erie. A lifelong lover of fibre arts, she studied textiles at the Kootenay School of the Arts in British Columbia, where she discovered her passion for felted wool and natural dyeing. Since 2006, she has been crafting her own line of felted hats and accessories. Julie is also the founder of The Love of Colour, a project celebrating plant-based dyes and the beauty of natural colours. She teaches natural dyeing workshops at The Workroom, where her popular Love of Colour Natural Dye Kits are available for makers who want to explore sustainable dyeing practices at home.
Discover Indigo
Indigo-bearing plants are the world's most reliable source of natural, true, and colourfast blue. This magical dye has been used across cultures since prehistoric times, with a rich history and deep cultural significance. Unlike other dyes, indigo requires the creation of a "living" vat through a gentle fermentation process to produce its stunning blue tones.
The Love of Colour Indigo kit provides pre-measured ingredients to create an organic fructose vat, which can dye a substantial amount of fibre. The exact amount depends on the depth of blue you want and the fibres you use, but as a guide, you can expect to dye at least 5 yards of medium-weight cotton (such as quilting cotton) to a rich medium blue, with the possibility of more and darker shades if desired. The vat can remain active for several weeks with proper care.
Indigo works on all natural fibres, including fabric, yarn, garments, and even wood, though it’s not suitable for synthetic fibres (a small percentage like 5% spandex or nylon is fine). The kit also includes detailed instructions on setting up, using, and maintaining your vat, allowing you to explore the timeless beauty of indigo dyeing.
