Indigo Shibori Heaven

A respite form the humid rainy season weather today as it was cool and dry. A perfect day to do some catch up dyeing at the indigo vat. Cloudy overcast days are not only not fun to spend at a smelly indigo vat but the color is never as good as you get on a dry sunny day. Ogata san has been complaining like mad about the time it has taken her to stitch this patterned wood grain shibori. She was pleased with the results and quickly forgot all the pain involved in this project. I sketched out the kelp design and drew it out in a disappearing blue flower ink (aobana) we use for under sketching before indigo dyeing.

Takeshima san had a back load of dying to do. She always comes up with an interesting stencil she draws and cuts out. This time a series of super hero wrestling masks.  Sometimes the shibori comes out boring and you have to figure out how to up grade it. She resisted some circles on her shawl and it came out much better. Snoopy was impressed with the upgrade as well.

Kawamoto san used the same technique as Ogata san for her shawl. I suggested doubling the material to save time on stitching and getting a kind of Rorschach test pattern. The material is a light cotten gauze. It was dry in minutes under the sun with a light breeze. Same kelp under the waves motif. Perfect for an overly air conditioned room.