Slovakian Indigo dye

These photos were taken at an exhibition of Slovakia blue dye at ULUV in Kosice, Slovakia September 2017

                                                     early 20th century bodice and skirt

                                                              indigo dyed bodice

                                                               traditional printing block

                                                traditional patterns in regions of Slovakia

Indigo vintage linen cushion covers

New in; cushion covers from  vintage Slovakian resist dyed indigo linen

Vintage Block Printed and Resist Dyed Indigo Skirts

These wonderfully pleated skirts used to be worn in areas of Hungary and Slovakia. The fabric was dyed in workshops, the knowledge and techniques  first bought to these areas by Germans.The pattern was applied using hand made wooden blocks dipped in a wax like substance. The blocks themselves were made from metal strips and nail, shaped and arranded on  a wooden base.  The fabric was the dyed in large vats of indigo dye and the the wax removed exposing the block printed pattern. Most of the skirts areidigo and the base backgroud colour (usally ecru). Some have more than one added colour, printing in more than one colour required a high degree of skill

The Hungarian skirts tend to be a darker shade of indigo and made of cotton, there is often a red strip at the base of the reverse side of the skirt.  The Slovakian skirts sometimes have  a number of different shades and sometimes yellow and greens. The skirts were pleated  by hand, some of these skirts are made from as much as 7 linear metres of fabric. There was usually an unpleated panel at the front of the skirt, over which traditionally an apron would have been  worn.
These pleated skirts were stored wrapped in fabric  and tied up to preserve the pleats.

We have a number of these skirts for sale here on our website

Cloth

.Cloth by Cassandra Ellis will be published in the Autumn. Our indigo dyed linen ( sheets and a resist dyed vintage linen cushion) are featured on the cover