Indigo Cover

To have an indigo fabric with even color, durable and less fading over time is a manual process that requires the skill, meticulousness and hard work of women.

Every year around July and August, when indigo plants grow in clumps by the streams, women will go along the streams to collect indigo leaves, wash them, soak them for 3-4 days, then drain the water. The indigo water will be mixed with kitchen gio water (water flowing through the basket containing kitchen gio) at a certain ratio (2 indigo water to 1 gio water), stored in a jar. After mixing the dye water, each piece of white cloth is put into the jar and shaken evenly. The cloth is taken out, wrung out, and beaten so that the color penetrates deep into each fiber. This is the first step, the cloth does not need to be washed but dried immediately. From the second day, the cloth after being dyed and beaten will be washed and dried. This process takes place in 7 days, when the fabric has a beautiful color and does not fade when washed, it is completed.

It can be seen that indigo dyeing requires many steps, taking nearly two weeks to complete. Every year, women will only dye the fabric for two months. After dyeing the fabric, September and October are the idle farming months, and women in many generations of the family will gather around the fire, under the porch, chatting and sewing.

Each piece of indigo fabric will be cut, sewn, embroidered with patterns and motifs into familiar products that are indispensable in cultural and spiritual life such as Piêu scarves, belts, shirts, etc. Under the ingenuity, hard work and perseverance of women, the colorful and eye-catching patterns and motifs on the dark indigo fabric background become even more prominent, clearly depicting the long-standing cultural traditions and characteristics of the Thai Che Can ethnic group.

Che Can, Muong Phang commune is an ancient Thai cultural village, with stilt houses and traditional cultural features preserved through each generation.

Traditional crafts are also preserved in Che Can, including indigo dyeing, a type of fabric dyed with a natural preparation with a characteristic black color.

In the past, knowing how to dye fabric, embroider, and sew clothes and household items was one of the main criteria for Thai women to get married.

Normally, women only dye fabric once a year, around July and August, when indigo plants grow in clumps by the stream, the women in the village go to harvest them to create indigo dye for fabric.

To create fabric dye, first the indigo leaves are washed, soaked for 3-4 days, then the residue is removed and the water is squeezed out...

…Then it is mixed with gio water (water flowing through the kitchen gio basket) in a ratio of 2 indigo water, 1 gio water and stored in a large jar for later use.

Each piece of white cloth is put into the dye water vat and shaken evenly.

To make each fabric fiber absorb the color evenly and not be patchy, women dip the fabric, wring it out, then use a pestle or a piece of wood to pound it.

It takes a lot of time to complete a batch of dyed fabric. On the first day, the dyed fabric is dried. From the second day, the fabric after dyeing and beating will be washed and then dried. This process takes place over 7 days. If the fabric is evenly colored and does not fade when washed, it is completed.

After creating the typical indigo fabrics, September and October are the idle farming months, when women gather around the fire, under the porch, to sew and embroider on the indigo fabric.

Colorful, eye-catching patterns embroidered on dark indigo fabric depict the ingenuity, sophistication, meticulousness and tradition of Thai women here.

Source: https://baodienbienphu.com.vn/tin-tuc/van-hoa/208809/sac-cham-che-can