"This book represents an achievement in compiling and putting into order all the facts discovered in an intensive four-year study. Included is an important study of 'Indigofera tinctoria', the beautiful but malodorous dye plant, indigo; the tale reads like a novel and is the complete study in book form of the strange dye plant and of the uses of the blue dye. The book, enhanced by Mrs. Pettit's understanding of techniques and by authoriatative and scholarly facts gleaned from New England archives, also gives a lively picture of the eigteenth-century dyer's and printer's life as an artisan in the American colonies." - book jacket.
Indigo: I never asked to be famous—or infamous. Such is my fate for briefly dating (and dumping) Adam Spade. Yes, the Adam from the indie rock band Blank Stare who wrote "Indigo Blues"—the song that gave the band overnight success, propelled them to New York City, and stole my precious anonymity. Now I'm pawed by fans, stalked by reporters, and pegged as a vicious heartbreaker. And Adam is still calling me. Doesn't he have better things to do? Adam: With a hit single and a promising career, I should be on top of the world. People on the street are beginning to recognize me, which is cool. And scary. The band is counting on me to write another hit, but I can't stop thinking about Indigo. Why won't she answer the phone?
Indigo is the rich, electrifying history of a precious dye: its relationship to the trans-Atlantic slave trade, its profound influence on fashion, and its spiritual significance - all very much alive today. But it is also the story of a personal quest: Catherine McKinley's ancestors include a clan of Scots who wore indigo tartan, several generations of Jewish 'rag traders' and Massachusetts textile factory owners, and African slaves who were traded along the same Saharan routes as indigo. Her journey takes her to nine West African countries and is resplendent with powerful lessons of heritage and history which shape the way she understands her world at home.
Like cotton, indigo has defied its humble origins. Left alone it might have been a regional plant with minimal reach, a localized way of dyeing textiles, paper, and other goods with a bit of blue. But when blue became the most popular color for the textiles that Britain turned out in large quantities in the eighteenth century, the South Carolina indigo that colored most of this cloth became a major component in transatlantic commodity chains. In Red, White, and Black Make Blue, Andrea Feeser tells the stories of all the peoples who made indigo a key part of the colonial South Carolina experience as she explores indigo's relationships to land use, slave labor, textile production and use, sartorial expression, and fortune building. In the eighteenth century, indigo played a central role in the development of South Carolina. The popularity of the color blue among the upper and lower classes ensured a high demand for indigo, and the climate in the region proved sound for its cultivation. Cheap labor by slaves—both black and Native American—made commoditization of indigo possible. And due to land grabs by colonists from the enslaved or expelled indigenous peoples, the expansion into the backcountry made plenty of land available on which to cultivate the crop. Feeser recounts specific histories—uncovered for the first time during her research—of how the Native Americans and African slaves made the success of indigo in South Carolina possible. She also emphasizes the material culture around particular objects, including maps, prints, paintings, and clothing. Red, White, and Black Make Blue is a fraught and compelling history of both exploitation and empowerment, revealing the legacy of a modest plant with an outsized impact.
A detailed look at the history of Indigo quilts, as well as five beautiful projects inspired by antique designs. The beauty of Indigo quilts is undeniable. Explore the origins of the fiber and fabric presented by two members of the American Quilt Study Group. Step inside the Poos Collection of quilts, one of the largest privately held collections in the world. Featuring stunning quilts circa 1750 to 1890. Get inspired and make one of the gorgeous quilt projects using present day Indigo or reproduction fabrics. Includes: 25 stunning antique quilts from one of the world’s largest privately held quilt and textile collections Appliqué and patchwork! 5 beautiful projects inspired by antique quilts Photographic history of indigo’s origins in textiles, from Africa to America Praise for Indigo Quilts “This excellent mix of history and quilt projects is the Triplett sisters’ third book based off the Poos Collections, a large, privately held gathering of quilts and textiles managed by the authors. . . . The Tripletts’ style is scholarly and readable; the pictures are stunning and seductive, and the book finishes off with five indigo design projects for the mid-level-to-expert quilter.” —Publishers Weekly “In their third book about the collection, their focus is on historic indigo quilts, as well as the African tradition of indigo cultivation and dyeing that was brought to the United States both by African traders and explorers and by slaves captured from their West African homelands. . . . Historical quilt enthusiasts will appreciate the depth of the Tripletts’ research on the history of indigo dyeing; contemporary quilters who appreciate reproduction quilts will enjoy the gallery and the patterns.” —Library Journal
