Surface Design Workshops
Note: Only Orizomegame & Fabric Stamping can be online offerings. Contact me for focused shibori workshops which require previous dye experience.
Introduction to Shibori Indigo (1,2, or 3 days)
Why is indigo so magical? Because it dates to ancient Egypt? Because the blue develops on contact with air and repeated dipping makes the blue seem like many colors? Indigo's magic is the perfect partner to shibori. Experience the magic and learn about the care and feeding of an indigo vat, using synthetic indigo. We'll create indigo samples of basic shibori patterns, suitable for sampler quilts and other projects.
Shibori Sampler (1, or 2 Days)
An ancient Japanese art, shibori subtlety goes far beyond the usual tie-dye techniques. Basic shaped resist techniques--binding, pleating, knotting, stitching, clamping and pole-wrapping--are easy to learn and endlessly variable. The results can be used to create your own sampler quilt. Adaptable to any fabric-dye combination, the class uses Procion MX dyes on cotton and silk. Note: On request, class can focus on specific techniques in greater depth and can be extended to include indigo dyeing.
Traditional Japanese Slow-Stitch:Shibori & Boro (5 days)
New! If you love to stitch, come experience these amazing age-old Japanese traditions of hand sewing. Though shibori and boro both rely on, but are not limited to, simple running stitches, the results are elegant and complex.
Create new indigo-dyed cloth with shibori, where stitches are sewn, gathered and dyed. Designs are revealed as stitches are removed. Then turn to boro, a tradition of patching and mending ( "country sashiko)," where layers of fabrics are exuberantly hand stitched to create new cloth. Our boro will use fabrics dyed in class and brought from home.. Quilting the layers with batting is optional. Students at all levels are welcome.
Indigo & Shibori: A Perfect Union (3 to 5 days)
Shibori & indigo dyeing have brought out the best in each other for centuries. The class will start with easy to learn basics, followed by advanced techniques, with an emphasis on individual attention and experimentation. Historical use of indigo will be discussed, but the class will take advantage of modern improvements that make indigo simple to use. No experience is necessary; experienced dyers are welcome.
Indigo Shibori: Beyond Blue (5 days)
Experience the excitement of dyeing indigo patterns over color. Results can range from dramatic to subtle, with an added bonus when the interaction of indigo and fiber reactive dyes create interesting haloes of color. The class will include instruction on using the dyes as well as shibori techniques with lots of time to create beautiful, unique fabrics. No experience is necessary; experienced dyers are welcome
Orizomegame: Paper Dyeing (1/2 or 1 day)
Take the familiar term “origami” that is the Japanese tradition of paper folding, and insert their word for dyeing, “zome,” and you get “orizomegami”, the art of dyeing folded paper. The folds are easy and patterns come from dipping paper in non-toxic water colors. The techniques are similar to those used on fabric (itajime), but instead of clamps, orizomegame simply uses finger pressure to control the patterns. We’ll dye tissue paper, useable for gift wrapping, and heavier rice paper suitable for cards, etc.
Fabric Stamping (1 day)
Add pizzazz to the textiles in your life. Print your own unique patterns with stamps that are store bought, or fashioned from everyday objects, or quickly carved from erasers or simply constructed with glue. The materials are inexpensive and non-toxic, basic techniques are easily learned and the results are immediate. Design theory is introduced as students create their own styles from elegant restraint to outrageous and funky.
Colorful Quarters (2 to 3 days)
If you’re a beginner or experienced, join us for a day of dyeing fat quarters using fiber reactive dyes, cottons and related fabrics including silks. We’ll dye solids in buckets and more mottled samples in baggies. Learn to mix dyes all around the color wheel, from color to color, and from light to dark. Depending on the number of students in the class, you'll end up with as much as 5 colorful yards of cotton, suitable for quilting projects. Our focus will be repeatable results. Never run out of a fabric again! Materials fee covers cost of fabric and dyes.
Potatoes & Poles: Dextrin & Arashi Shibori (5 days)
Experiment with the organic patterns produced by these two resists. When potato dextrin dries, its crackled surface is dye painted to create textures from fine veins to bold webs, reminiscent of batik. In arashi, poles (pvc pipes) are wrapped with fabric and compressed into folds that are manipulated to create patterns of “regular irregularity." The focus will be cotton samples using fiber reactive dyes, though techniques apply to other dyes and fibers.