I started some Japanese Indigo seeds before the last frost early this year and only got 2 plants to grow. They were transferred to the garden and when the leaves matured I could literally see the blue in the leaves. I have not learned yet how to do an indigo vat for the deep blues, but I decided to try botanical contact with the leaves. Well they printed green but then I over-dyed the pieces in an Indigo "ice-bath" (leaves and ice blended into ice pulp.) I got a really nice aqua blue around the prints. This was my first try with Japanese Indigo and I'm hoping I can grow more plants next year. Maybe someday I'll have the time to learn the vat process. This large silk is a sarong size. I can't steam more than 15" wide so I folded it in half over the leaves and branches.
