Planner Party!!

Let’s make 2018 Planners together!

I’ve been making my own planners for the last few years and I want to help you make yours. It’s not fully a class but I’ll happily share some techniques I’ve used., if you ask.

I have composition books, washi tape, collage stuff, pretty paper and glue sticks. I’d love to pare down my craft supply hoard a bit. I have too many and too much! Feel free to bring whatever else you want for your planner

***Print Your Own 2018 Calendars – month per page, landscape orientation – this is the one thing that I am not supplying***

Invite anyone you think would enjoy this. RSVP REQUIRED! I have 30 composition books available. There is room for 48 people at The Dream Bank.

Indigo Shibori Dish Towels

Four 100% cotton flour sack towels are included in the class fee. If you would like to dye a t-shirt as well, bring one that is 100% cotton. No fabric dyeing experience is required. You will learn the fundamentals of Japanese Shibori techniques and indigo dyeing and about Indigo chemistry and history. Dress in clothes and shoes that can get stained blue.

 

Shibori Class at The Electric Needle

Come and learn several traditional Shibori folding techniques.

We will not be dyeing anything during this class but rather focusing on the folding, wrapping and stitching techniques.

We will be experimenting with a variety of Shibori techniques to make beautiful patterns on fabric.

The fabric bundles you take home from class can be dyed at a future time. There will be an indigo dye class for you to dye your bundles on Saturday, November 18th, but it’s not required.

We will Shibori as much fabric as we have time for and there will be plenty of time for Q&A with Jennifer. You will leave with enough knowledge to continue on your own at home.

Six fat quarters of prepared quilting cotton will be included.  Feel free to bring additional fabric, which must be made from natural fibers.

Students also taking the indigo dye class can take home Jennifer’s dye tools and return them after the November 18th class.

Indigo Dyeing at Millhouse Quilts

Join me for a hands on exploration in the basics of dyeing with a natural indigo vat.

I will touch on the history and science of indigo and explore several shibori resist techniques.

Sign up here!

We always have fun in my classes!

You will leave with four cotton fat quarters that you have patterned in the rich blue for which indigo is famous.

Please wear old clothes and shoes and bring one pair of rubber gloves and a plastic bag for carrying your work home.

All other materials will be provided. Feel free to bring along a tee shirt to dye – it must be made of natural fibers.

The class will meet outside.  Rain Date is September 9th.

Doodle on Fabric: Wax batik and indigo dye

Learn to make pattern and design using soy wax as a resist on your fabric, then dye in the indigo vat.

We will doodle and print on fabric with non-toxic soy wax to make quilting fabric ready for you to make your one of a kind quilt.

Soda ash treated fabric available for purchase at the shop for use in class.

Wax and all other tools are provided.

You’ll dye your patterned fabric in a magical indigo dye vat. Dress in clothes (and shoes!) that can be stained blue.

Dip into Shibori & Indigo Dyeing at Blue Bar Quilts

No fabric dyeing experience is required. Learn the fundamentals of Japanese Shibori techniques and indigo dyeing.

Shibori means to fold, clamp, stitch or in some way block off fabric to create patterns when the fabric is dyed.
We’ll be experimenting with a variety of shibori techniques to make beautiful patterns.

Then, you’ll dye your patterned fabric in an indigo dye vat. Feel free to bring along a tee shirt (natural fibers only) to dip into the vat.

Dress in clothes and shoes that can get stained blue.

o Learn about Indigo chemistry and history
o Experiment with basic Shibori techniques
o Fabric will be provided: 4 fat quarters (approximately 18’ X 22’ pieces) of cotton fabric to learn with
o You’ll get ample time to dye your fabric in an indigo dye vat.

Monona Library Mending Day

The Monona Library Mending Day, developed by The Sewing Machine Project will be held on the second Sunday of the month (Sept to May) from 2-4 pm.

Bring in your loved but worn clothes for mending …or get a head start on freshening up your wardrobe with some trim and buttons. It’s free!

Our wonderful volunteers will hem, mend, and patch items for people. Some restrictions apply and mending is done on a first come basis.

Monona Library Mending Day

The Monona Library Mending Day, developed by The Sewing Machine Project will be held on the second Sunday of the month (Sept to May) from 2-4 pm.

Bring in your loved but worn clothes for mending …or get a head start on freshening up your wardrobe with some trim and buttons. It’s free!

Our wonderful volunteers will hem, mend, and patch items for people. Some restrictions apply and mending is done on a first come basis.

Monona Library Mending Day

The Monona Library Mending Day, developed by The Sewing Machine Project will be held on the second Sunday of the month (Sept to May) from 2-4 pm.

Bring in your loved but worn clothes for mending …or get a head start on freshening up your wardrobe with some trim and buttons. It’s free!

Our wonderful volunteers will hem, mend, and patch items for people. Some restrictions apply and mending is done on a first come basis.

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Botanical Colors FTW

Thanks to Kathy Hattori from Botanical Colors for sharing the chemicals for three different kinds of organic indigo vats at the Deep Into Indigo Retreat. I attended a workshop day in her studio in the spring and I learned so much.  She’s really awesome; generous with her expertise, time and supplies.

 

For starters, you gotta hydrate that indigo before it goes into the vat.  The directions often call for shaking it in a jar with water and marbles but a whisk is just easier and works as well.

Henna vat samples. Both had one dip. The one one the left was tested on the first day, the one on the right was dipped the second day. Henna vats work best a few days after they’re made.

We made an iron vat, a henna vat and a fructose vat.  Like most things I get into, I made lots of really awesome messes and mistakes.

But that didn’t slow us down at all.

Here’s a dip from the iron vat.

To see if the dye is ready, you check under the flower to see if it’s clear and not at all blue-ish.

We put our fabric in stainless steel baskets to keep it from getting stained by the sludge at the bottom.  Also, the liquid was hot and we didn’t want to keep our hands in there.

Oops.  Here’s my favorite mistake of the weekend.  I made a fructose vat. I tripled the recipe but didn’t triple the container size so it made a pretty awesome mess.  Like a kid’s volcano experiment but deeply blue!

I scraped it into the vat and it still worked. Just a little unexpected adventure. And, yes, I did give myself a blue mustache.

There was definitely an “Organic Vat Posse” among the participants.  I also had some pre-reduced indigo crystals from Dharma Trading Company for people to dye with but these ladies were super into the organic vats.

The whole process of using organic vats is really enticing.  It smells way better too.

You can learn more about it on the Botanical Colors website.  Like I said, Kathy is very generous with her knowledge and, along with really high quality dye stuff, her website is chock full of tutorials and advice.

Haley Hundt took all of these gorgeous pictures.  She did such a fantastic job!!