Starch Resist. It’s stencil time! You’ll play with rice resist, to make beautiful patterns dyed with indigo on quilting cotton.
Dress to get messy, including your shoes.
No fabric dyeing experience is required.
Come and check out the Electric Needle’s dye studio. It is in the basement so you will need to be able to go
up and down one flight of stairs. If you have restrictions please call the store to schedule a private class.
Supply List will be sent out 1 week before the class.
Today was a cool fall day but I still got out and made some Shibori and Indigo dyed samples for my upcoming indigo dye classes at The Electric Needle.
Fall is coming again. Dang it. I thought summer would go on and on. For some reason (hope related) I always think summer will never end, not this year. But I was wrong again.
I’ve either sold or quilted many of my arashi samples so I knocked out a few more. I just love arashi shibori. All of these were made by sewing the fabric into a tube that was then put around a PVC pipe and then NOT wrapped with string (ummm…if you’ve never done it before, trust me, that makes more sense when you see the process). I love how organic and watery they look. The wider guys are half yards. One was a tight tube and one was loose, which makes such a dramatic difference!
These skinny dudes are actually called “skinny quarters”. They are 9 inches wide. Each one was sewn into a bias tube and put on a tube. Only one was a tight tube and I’m embarrassed to admit that I can’t remember which is which. They are hanging on the line right now. I’m pretty durn sure that it’s the one with more white.
I also needed some Itajime samples. I met some amazing dye artists last weekend at a Circle of Life Studio event in Eagle River. They were all so inspiring. I followed the lead of Yukako Kadono of Slow Stitch Studio. I moved my blocks around and got these great color changes. I love this picture especially because you can see the green from the color change that indigo goes through on the left side of the star.
I did play a little but with some Katano Shibori. It’s done with a sewing machine and can really look dramatic. I haven’t done this one very much but I really enjoy it and plan to do more.
And finally this big one is a blank from Dharma Trading Company that I wanted to test out. I think this size cloth (about 42 X42) would make awesome wrapping cloths for presents.
I dyed till I ran out of light last night. If you scroll through all the pictures, you can kinda see the progression of the sun going down.
As much as I’m bummed that summer is ending (NOOOOoooooooOOOO!!!), I’m glad to get back into the Electric Needle Studio to teach. We’ve scheduled classes on the first Saturday of every month from October to May (not including January) and it feels like I’m going home again. You can check my events page or just head over to the Electric Needle’s class page to learn more and sign up.
I’ll post more about last weekend in another post. I’m still kinda processing how awesome it was.
I taught another just fabulous class at Mill House Quilts last weekend!
The students were very interested in trying out new techniques. Lots had experience with dyeing but not with indigo, which was super cool.
Chopsticks were very popular in this class. It’s funny how different patterns will trend in different classes. But the Mandala is always a popular pattern.
You can still see lots of green in this one. The indigo is still oxidizing.
As I always end up doing there, I tied the lines between two cars.
Fortunately, this student’s car not only had a roof rack, but was also the right color.
And that sky!
It was hot and buggy but everyone left happy. I love teaching classes and try to get to Mill House at least once a year. It’s not easy to travel with indigo but the back of the shop is pretty ideal for indigo: breezy and just shady enough in the afternoon.
I just got these in the mail: a dozen GIANT handwoven cotton scarves from Maiwa. Guess what I’m going to do with them 🙂
This is a three part class.
In the first class you will Indigo dye your own fabric for use in the quilt.
We will dye eight fat quarters with a few different patterns to later make a beautiful quilt top.
| Sat, Oct 6, 2018 at 11:00 am to 3:00 pm Sat, Oct 20, 2018 at 10:30 am to 1:00 pm Sat, Oct 27, 2018 at 10:30 am to 1:00 pm |
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Mary Gabich will teach the quilting portion of the classes.
In the second and third classes we will work on cutting out and assembling the quilt top.
We will be using the Four Patch Charm pattern by Kathy Schwarz. Pattern will be included in price of class.
This is an enthusiastic beginner class.
The air is crisp, and twinkle lights are out all around the city lighting up the dark nights. True winter means you’re wearing a scarf ALL THE TIME! So, why not rock an indigo-dyed infinity scarf! Perfect for keeping the chill off.
Are you wishing that Santa helps you get your Christmas wish of a hot summer weekend of indigo dyeing in 2018, but want to know a little more first?
Here are some FAQs about the retreat:
Q: Can I bring my own fabric to dye?
YES! While the retreat price includes all your materials, including fabric, tools, and access to prepared dye vats, you can bring whatever you want (as long as it’s natural fiber) to prep and dye during the retreat.
Q: Will I learn how to prepare different types of indigo vats?
YES! Jen will demonstrate how to do both natural and synthetic vats.
Q: What is included in the cost of the retreat?
Deep Into Indigo is an all-inclusive retreat. That means you get your lodging, meals (including wine and cocktails), instruction and all indigo dyeing supplies & tools. You can bring your own fabric, but only if you want to.
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.
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.
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.
We have a few and really want to thank them and ask for you to check them out. They are all super awesome and have so much to offer!
We are huge fans of Quilt Basket n’ Creations. It’s local to Viroqua and we hope everyone joining is stops by to shop. We just walked in off the street last year and asked Carol, the owner, to sponsor the retreat and she was super open and welcoming.
QBNC has loads of fabric and notions..I’m a sucker for notions and pick something up every time we stop by.
They have sponsored the Deep Into Indigo Retreat with a bolt of sexy linen-cotton blend. It was the belle of the ball at last year’s retreat.