Making a Vat for Pale Dyeing

Q: I am about to make a 5 gallon vat and I only want to use it to dye some pieces to a pale blue. Since I’m only wanting a pale color, can I reduce the amount of indigo paste I add to the vat so I don’t waste indigo? If so, how much indigo paste would you recommend using?

A: For pale blues, I'd recommend starting at 10g of indigo extract for a 5 gallon bucket, but still use 100g iron and 150g lime. This will make sure that the indigo is fully reduced and will add incremental pale shades to your pieces. You can paste up and add more indigo as that vat loses efficacy.