Soy Milk

Dye Fixative and Fabric Sizing

Kit contains 3# organic soybeans, muslin strainer, ¼ cup measuring cup and recipe.

Soy Milk Preparation

Freshly made soymilk is used as a dye fixative for the application of earth oxides (pigments, muds, ochres) or the application of oxidized indigo. Fresh soy milk is also a traditional fabric treatment, when applied to silks offers the fabric a wrinkle resistance and a soil resistance. It also gives the silk a ‘crisp hand’.

Preparing soymilk and brushing it directly onto unmordanted cloth, allowing it to dry (either completely or to a dampness), then brushing on mud, earth oxides or oxidized indigo is a great adventure. The protein in the soymilk binds the colorant directly onto the fiber, getting it to bite in and hang on permanently.

Many sequencing choices work well. You may:

Use mordanted cloth that has been dyed, then allowed to dry. Apply the soy milk and pigment mixtures directly.

Apply soy milk and pigment, allowing it to dry. Mordant the cloth and dye it.

Apply soy milk to the entire cloth, allow it to dry, apply soy and pigments, dry.
Invent your own sequences.

Mix your earth oxide or indigo powder with a bit of soymilk before applying to your fabric. Also, soak your natural fiber brush one hour in water before using it to apply soymilk. Wash the brush with a little soap and water immediately after you are finished with the soymilk brush. (We recommend diluted Dr. Bronner’s liquid peppermint soap: 10% soap in water. It is gentle and olive oil-based, so it cuts the oils in the soymilk efficiently and leaves the hand of the brush unaffected.)

We prefer fresh soymilk, because the enzymes are active. We do not recommend commercial soymilk products. They have been cooked, and contain any number of additional ingredients that are not on record as being a fixative. If you choose commercial soy milk, choose the most plain with the least additional ingredients. It will work OK. On balance, the fresh soy milk has the strongest striking results.

Obtain a dedicated blender at a garage sale, along with a colander. That’s all you need. ( A new rubber o-ring could make all the difference!)

We use soymilk immediately after making it. We have kept it 24 hours, storing (covered) in the refrigerator. We have also used leftover soymilk/pigment or indigo 24 hours later. That worked. However, after 24 hours it all starts to smell, so throw it out and start again.

Make Fresh Soymilk:

¼ cup soybeans
Soak overnight in water.
Next day, rinse soaking water off.
Add soybeans to blender.
3 cups warm water
Add to blender, and run on medium for 4 minutes.
Strain liquid through muslin. Retain liquid.
Return soybean residue to blender.
2 cups warm water
Add water to blender, and run 4 minutes.
Strain liquid through muslin.
(Discard soybean residue. Wash muslin. Hang to dry.)
Thin soymilk by adding more water until it looks like ‘skim milk’. (Until it has that ‘blue’ sheen that only skim milk has.)
Apply soymilk to fabric with a wide brush. Mix soymilk with oxides or indigo.
Keep remaining soymilk up to 24 hours in fridge.

Soy milk treated fabric: Simply applying a layer of soy milk to clean, dry fabric and air curing that fabric for 24 hours will offer that fabric a certain level of ‘wrinkle proof-ness’ and stain resistance, depending upon the substrate you choose.

Applying soy milk to a clean dry fabric, air curing 24 hours and then adding iron mixed with gum tragacanth will offer you a tan design element. Air cure 24 hours and steam to set. (Or air cure 2 weeks.) Wash before mordanting or proceeding.

When using soy milk with earth oxides, it works best to have dedicated brushes and yogurt containers. Not only because the oxides contain iron, but because the oxides are powdery, and tend to migrate to unintended locations.

Rice Paste Resist: When practicing katazome (the gentle art of rice paste resist), The DyeWorks prefers to treat fabric with soy milk before proceeding to design with the rice paste resist. We find that the fabric is easier to work with, and holds up to brushing dyes on.