textiles

Took a textiles and pattern class last semester, which was more challenging than I was expecting. Printing on paper is so much easier than fabric! I hit quite a few snags with a lot of my projects, but this is one piece I was happy with. Screen-printed ogee pattern.

We also learned how to dye fabric with indigo, which was my favourite part of the class. We went to Maiwa for the dyeing workshop (lots of fun!). We learned how to make an indigo vat, and also got to see some pretty amazing pieces of shibori (Japanese tying technique). 

These are a couple of my shibori experiments.

At Maiwa. The bucket is the indigo vat, and the little bundles next to it is the fabric all tied up and ready to dye. It was an interesting (and slightly smelly) experience, a lot of getting the vat ready was waiting for the indigo and other ingredients to mingle and get the chemical reaction going. Another neat thing was watching the fabric turn from green to blue when you take it out of the vat (the indigo reacts with the oxygen in the air, and turns blue). 

Different shades of blue are determined by how many times you dip the fabric (more dips = darker blue).