Lately I've been trying to cut out things in my life that don't make me happy, or more so cut out the things that make me actively unhappy.
So, that has freed up some time to do and make cool stuff. I've been working on some paintings (they're all going terribly-haha, reading new books, revamping my garden and kombucha (also slow going) and this Saturday I signed up for an indigo workshop.
I hate to admit, but I knew NOTHING about natural dyes. This was a really great jumping off point for learning about indigo. It was also probably good for me to learn from a completely opposite perspective than I would have gotten from being completely self taught.
We started by making a 123 vat with 6L of water. 30 grams of indigo, 60 of fructose, and 90 of lime.
Then we learned the basic technique of dipping, airing, and rinsing. And tried a couple of dips to achieve different shades. The process is a redox reaction, so your fabric is actually green as you remove it from the vat then turns blue as it oxidizes.
Next we learned a few shibori techniques. I would have loved to learn more but it was pretty free for all experimental. So that's always something I can read more about later.
This was accordion folded then wrapped with fine string. It made a really cool shibori design.
Then I did a tank top where I just chose a center point then rubber banded and tied fine string around it. This one was too "tie-dye-esque" for my liking but oh well. Live and learn.
Overall, I learned a lot and can't wait to try a hundred different things at home!!!
Here's a shot of the whole class's projects. So inspiring!
I can't wait to try more!!!