EXPERIENCE AYURVASTRA DYEING
“Ayurvastra means “Ayur” in Sanskrit for health,”veda” means wisdom, and “vastra” is cloth or clothing. Clothing that promotes healthy and happy and holistic living”
Aavaran Chitrakoot Nagar, Udaipur, Rajasthan 313001 | Ph: 0294-2980129 | Ayurvastra
Aavaran Chitrakoot Nagar, Udaipur, Rajasthan 313001 | Ph: 0294-2980129 | Ayurvastra
AYURVASTRA IN CONTEXT OF AYURVEDA Ayurvastra connects the knowledge of Ayurveda to the art of dyeing and printing of textiles. The idea is to explore Ayurveda through clothes, textile techniques and processes that can infuse qualities and principles of Ayurveda in the textiles in form of dyes, treatments, print forms and appropriate clothing. This will enable the human body to heal through the act of wearing such medicine- infused textiles known as Ayurvastra.
Aavaran Chitrakoot Nagar, Udaipur, Rajasthan 313001 | Ph: 0294-2980129 | Ayurvastra
Aavaran Chitrakoot Nagar, Udaipur, Rajasthan 313001 | Ph: 0294-2980129 | Ayurvastra
ABOUT AYURVASTRA The knowledge of Ayurvastra was described in Ayurveda. Ayurvastra litterally means “Ayur” in Sanskrit for health,”veda” means wisdom, and “vastra” is cloth or clothing. Based on the principle of restoring balance and stability within the body and strengthening the immune system, the clothing is worn to treat a broad range of diseases. Ayurvastra, dyed and infused with these herbs and minerals, includes special effects of herbs upon the mind, and deeper psychological and spiritual aspects of healing. Since immemorial times, Ayurveda uses herb like harda, barda, amla, raktachandan, sweta, kumkum, haldi, manjistha and many more for protecting skin from climate changes, thus keeping the body healthy. During the olden days, before the discovery of detergent soaps, the clothes were cleaned with Ayurvedic products like Rithav (soap nut), and chuna (lime). This method maintained good health of the people on one hand and also made the cloth strong and everlasting. People in many parts of India were still using various forms of natural dyeing, in which they repeatedly dipped their clothing in an herb-based preparation after each wash. They also used flowers Kesuda for colouring fabric during the annual festival and colours, known as Holi, because the dye from these plants are hundred percent natural and toxicity free. Ever since the invention of synthetic fabric and chemical dyes, however, things have radically changed. Economic competition pushed to make clothes cheaper, and making them cheaper lead to reduce their quality and thus to endanger the health of the consumers. Aavaran Chitrakoot Nagar, Udaipur, Rajasthan 313001 | Ph: 0294-2980129 | Ayurvastra
Aavaran Chitrakoot Nagar, Udaipur, Rajasthan 313001 | Ph: 0294-2980129 | Ayurvastra
SOME AYURVEDIC HERBS USED FOR DYEING
Indigo neel
Gum Arabic babool
Pomogranate nashphal
Indian Madder manjistha
Turmeric haldi
Safflower kusumal
Aavaran Chitrakoot Nagar, Udaipur, Rajasthan 313001 | Ph: 0294-2980129 | Ayurvastra
Aavaran Chitrakoot Nagar, Udaipur, Rajasthan 313001 | Ph: 0294-2980129 | Ayurvastra
AYURVASTRA KIT “Ayurvastra kit, comprised of natural Ayurvedic herbs, so as to allow the user to explore and experience natural dyeing themselves.”
List of materials in the kit NATURAL DYEABLE HERBS Kusumal/ Safflower Haldi/ Turmeric Babool / Gum Arabic Manjistha/ Indian Madder NATURAL MORDANT Mordant are the natural minerals used to Fix natural dyes Fitkari / Alum Kasish / Ferrous sulfate ORGANIC COTTON Four pieces of cotton fabric to explore herbs on the fabrics. INSTRUCTION MANUAL Follow the instruction on the next page to dye your our own herbal fabrics
Aavaran Chitrakoot Nagar, Udaipur, Rajasthan 313001 | Ph: 0294-2980129 | Ayurvastra
Aavaran Chitrakoot Nagar, Udaipur, Rajasthan 313001 | Ph: 0294-2980129 | Ayurvastra
TRY DYEING YOURSELF Before you start, cover the surface of your work area with newspaper. Be sure to wear gloves so you only color the fabric, not your hands. Then, prepare your dye. 1.Place the plant material in a large non-reactive pot (like stainless steel or glass). Remember the dye could stain some pots and spoons, so use these only for dyeing. 2.Fill pot with twice as much water as plant material. 3.Simmer for an hour or so, until you get a nice dark color. 4.Strain out the plant material and return the liquid to the pot. 5.Carefully place the fabric in the dye bath and bring to a slow boil. Simmer for an hour or so, stirring once in a while. 6.Check your fabric. Remember, it will be lighter when it dries. An hour should produce nice color, but darker hues can be achieved by allowing to sit longer, even overnight. Turn the pot off after an hour and allow fabric to sit in the warm water as long as needed. 7.. When you get the desired colour, take out the fabric and wash it in Alum or ferrous sulphate followed by a cold wash . Expect the colour to lighten a bit as the excess dye is washed out. 8.Dry the fabric in shade. That’s all there is to dyeing your own fabrics.
Aavaran Chitrakoot Nagar, Udaipur, Rajasthan 313001 | Ph: 0294-2980129 | Ayurvastra
Photos by Rebecca Desnos Content & Graphics by Archi Modi Aavaran Chitrakoot Nagar, Udaipur, Rajasthan 313001 | Ph: 0294-2980129 | Ayurvastra
THANK YOU
Aavaran Chitrakoot Nagar, Udaipur, Rajasthan 313001 | Ph: 0294-2980129 | Ayurvastra