Indigo Dyeing with Arashi Shibori

Let’s make beautiful indigo dyed wearables for spring. In this three hour workshop, textile artist Jennifer Falkowski will teach us how to indigo dye using the incredibly versatile Japanese shibori technique called Arashi (pole wrapping). Arashi is a classic technique that can be used to make stripes, chevrons and wave inspired patterns that can vary from organic and loose shapes to clean, geometric lines. We’ll cover how to prepare our fabric for dyeing, preparing an indigo vat, making a variety of patterns using the arashi technique and finishing your work. You’ll walk away with the skills to continue indigo dyeing on your own as well as one hand dyed indigio Turkish Towel and one spring scarf, perfect for spring and summer adventures.

Each guest will be mixing their own indigo vat which typically can dye up to 15 yards of fabric, more than we’ll use for the towel and scarf. If you’d like to bring extra small items like tees, tanks, dresses, pillow cases, tea towels (ie no sheets or blankets or other large items) to play with dyeing, you’re welcome to. Extra dyeable Turkish towels will also be for sale.

Cost is $95 and pre-registration is required.

From the One One Thousand Event Page

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Indigo Dye Retreat last summer! w00t!!!!

This retreat has passed and it was a stone cold blast.  We are in the planning phases of our 2017 Deep Into Indigo Retreat(s?).

Wanna stay in the loop?  Sign up here to get updates:

Friday August 26th – Sunday August 28th, 2016

That’s right. A whole friggin’ weekend dedicated to turning things blue!!

It will be at a gorgeous retreat center in Viroqua (round about 2 hours North West of Madison).

Beds? Got you covered
Food? We got this
Gorgeous Location? Check
Fun? A given
Indigo? Duh

I’ll bring the blue and the shibori toys and the awesome Jenina Mella will bring her serious party planning skills to the food and the many details. We’ll all bring the fun.

Simply put, this will rock your (blue) socks off.  Tell all your best friends!!

More details to come as soon as we figure them out.

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Arashi Again

This is the part of being obsessive that I love.  I spent my July 4th holiday wrapping fabric around poles and then dyeing it in indigo.  I can’t get enough of that arashi. There’s so much variation within this technique.   image11(2)

This is one that I wrapped, dyed, let dry on the pole, unwrapped, re-wrapped and over-dyed.  Whew.  I have to ask myself why.  It’s ok and all but whatever.  I don’t see the point in drying and then re-wrapping.  I must be doin’ it rong.image10(4)I won’t walk you through each one.image9(6)Though I do love this skinny one.  Fun to make, too.image8(7)I did throw in some itajime.  That’s the kind where you cover part of the fabric with blocks.  One cannot live by arashi alone.image7(8) image6(12)Love this.  Uneven pleats ftw!!image5(14)Also cool, if I may say so myself.  I accordion triangle folded it and then wrapped it.  Even fancier than it soundsimage4(13)Hell yes.  1/2 a yard of cotton looking fine!image3(13)Another variation on willow pattern.image2(13)Ok.  So I guess I kinda did walk you through each one

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But I did spend my day with them and perhaps I got attached.

Come and dye with me on Sunday, July 12 from 1 – 4 at Paradigm Gardens!!!  Call them to register at 608/241-3800.  That’s a week away.  Holy Cats Time!  Slow down!