Indigo Workshop | Create Symposium 21

I

N

I

D

G

O

Y

I

G

N

E

D

-

This is the Japanese art of resist dyeing, also known as Shibori dyeing. Through various techniques, an array of patterns can be achieved to decorate and embellish cloth. Think of shibori as a more traditional form of what we know as tie-dye

So what's the plan?

1 - First, grab the fabric and draw a design on it with a pencil.

2 - Then grab a needle and thread. Be careful! People keep saying that needles are scary. Guess they have a point.

3 - Thread your needle and sew along your lines.

4 - Grab the 2 ends of your thread when done and pull them tight, clinching the fabric.

5 - Tie the 2 ends of the thread together.

The dyeing workshop was designed for those who attended to learn three main shibori techniques: Itajime, Plangi, and Tritik.

Itajime is done by folding fabric, which is then clamped with two objects to ensure the fabric will stay white in those places.

Plangi is done by pulling at sections of the fabric and wrapping said sections with rubber bands to ensure resistance when the dyeing process takes place.

Tritik is done by sewing a pattern into the fabric. Once the pattern is sewn, the thread is pulled, cinched, and tied to lock in the pattern.

After the attendees went around to each table to learn these techniques and manipulate their fabrics, they went outside and dipped each fabric in a vat of indigo dye. The areas that had been manipulated were left white and the rest of the fabric was dyed a beautiful blue.

The students really enjoyed the workshop and had a lot of dyed fabric to take home with them, as well as some to donate to us.

What did we achieve?

For the second half of the symposium semester, the KAA Indigo Dyeing group broke up into smaller groups. Each team constructed a quilt using indigo-dyed fabrics, choosing twelve pieces of their best samples.

They learned all that goes into making a quilt in less than a month and most group members had never used a sewing machine prior to this experience. Time, attention, and care has been given to each quilt.

Upon completion, these four quilts will be donated to Hospice of Northeast Missouri--a nonprofit that provides end-of-life care to patients and their families, with an emphasis on comfort and improving their patients’ quality of life until death.

Our quilts will be given directly to these patients and their families who are in need of comfort during their final days.