An honest review of the Iwase Indigo Dye Kits

We ran a giveaway with three people receiving the Iwase Indigo dye kits. One of the winners was long time natural / eco dyer Earth Fibre. I was curious to hear what she thought. She has bought many kits of Indigo dye from me over the years, and I really like her work. But this is a new product and the first time she tried it. 

I asked @earth_fibre for her opinion as a seasoned and valued eco dyer. 


In short: Too pale if you're after a rich, dark, moody indigo for Shibori. But if you are partial to soft 'periwinkle' shades of blue on cottons, silk and linen, this could be just the thing. 

"Firstly, I was surprised that you didn't use hot water to mix the paste in, 
and only used hot water for the agent to dissolve it.
The blue has come out a much lighter shade than the original Indigo dye kits HOW sold (Konya by Seiwa). 
This is more a periwinkle blue and goes into a lighter blue.
I redipped a few times on various fabrics but couldn't reach the depth of blue I like. 
I cant say I don't like it, but I wouldn't use it again when I'm trying to create a deep dark indigo.

The silks turned out ok, but still on the light side even with 3 dips
The linen created a periwinkle blues
The cotton was the least successful . I just couldn't get that deep blue

I can see how it might work for a kids workshop or something like that but for professional dyers,  who really want a deep dark indigo, not so much"