March 2026 and we’re just back from India with a new selection of Indigo blue & Madder red bedspreads.
Indigo, one of the most popular colours in the world, from Asia, Japan to Africa and the Toureg, or Blue People, of the Sahara. And just think of all the denim jeans in the world! The colour of the sky and the colour of an imagined sea.
Indigo Floral Pattern bedspread and detail
Indigo is traditionally made from the leaves of the plant Indigofera tintoria, a sprawling 2m high deciduous shrub. The name comes from the Greek indikon, meaning "from India," referring to its origin as a major Indian trade commodity. Other similar varieties of indigo blue plant occur in Japan and Africa - and in Britain, we are familiar with Boudica’s woad, a similar but paler blue.
Indigo Leaf Pattern Bedspread
In the modern world the demand for Indigo Blue outstrips the supply of fermented leaves that are used to produce the colour and in many parts of India a synthetic Indigo dye is now used. At first that might seem rather disappointing, but actually it’s no different than the way we nowadays make sodium salicylate, aspirin, which originally was a plant extract.
Indigo Leaf Pattern Bedspread detail
Natural or synthetic, the processes of dying cloth with Indigo is fundamentally the same and thorough washing is necessary to remove excess dye which might rub off. The State Museum in Calcutta has some wonderful exhibits including a delightful but rather old-fashioned scale model of an Indigo manufacturing plant.
Indigo & Pale Grey Print Bedspread
The other ancient dye that we love is madder, obtained from the roots of the plant Rubia tinctorium. Indigo blue and madder red are two of the most traditional colours in India and our particular favourites.
Striped Madder Red bedspread
Both madder and Indigo were one of the great trading commodities of India; there are madder stained cloths dating back 5000 years to the Indus Valley civilisation, the remains of which are now found more in Pakistan than India. Madder can dye cotton or wool in shades varying from pink to deep red or orange depending on the acidity and hardness of the water.Madder Red Floral Print Bedspread
We buy these bedspreads in limited quantities; for more details and to buy, Shop Here.
Signing off with an image of the author with Indigo Toureg scarf, Atlas mountains Morocco, 2010.
