The wax is off the butterflies, but it wasn't easy. Three straight days of simmering and then cooling, and still it was heavy with wax. I was trying to avoid using water glass in the bath because it can really pull the color out with the wax, but my resolve was weakening. Re-reading my wax removal instructions (gathered from several sources) I noticed a method I had never tried before....kerosene. I had shied away from using it because of the smell and worry over soaking my cloth in petroleum. The instructions said to dissolve soda ash in kerosene and hold the fabric in it overnight before dipping it in water glass. The trouble was, the soda ash would not dissolve. I tried heating the kerosene, but absolutely lost my nerve when it started to get hot. How dumb am I to put kerosene on a burner? I turned it off. The soda ash was clumped solidly in the bottom of the kettle, but I put the fabric in anyway and left. The next morning, no more wax. The smell was daunting, but it washed out after three soap and water scrubs and the value of the colors held really well.
The indigo got a little grayer and the background is much greener overall than I expected. I want to introduce some navy blue, but will have to do it with embroidery.