“Two problems make indigo a dye unlike any other dye in the universe,” said Cynthia Thayer at the 2004 Common Ground Country Fair. It does not dissolve in water, nor does it adhere to material. “It’s also the only natural dye that gives a real, true-blue color,” she added. Until the late 1800s, indigo provided the only way to get blue color into fibers. Today textile manufacturers still use indigo – although a synthetic form – to dye blue jeans.

[Read more...]