Join textile artist Sandy Shelenberger in our studios for this 2 day shibori intensive and experience the magic of Indigo. We are so excited to bring Sandy’s talent and expertise to Jamestown! Her work has been in several publications and juried art exhibitions. Sandy took her first quilting class in 1984, and began to see quilting as an art form and a means of self-expression. Her work has been included in prestigious exhibits such as Quilt National, Fiberarts International, Quilts=Art-Quilts, Visions Art Museum in San Diego, CA and Ohio Craft Museum. Sandy loves teaching and sharing her knowledge and passion for the creative process.
Over the course of the two days in the studio with Sandy, participants will learn Arashi Shibori, Itajime Shibori and experiment with stitched Shibori techniques.
Shibori is a Japanese word used to describe a variety of manual resist techniques such as binding, twisting, stitching or clamping that create patterns on the fabric before putting in dye bath. Traditionally, Shibori is dyed in Indigo vats, but Procion MX dyes or other fiber reactive dyes can be used. Indigo is the oldest known natural dye and is derived from the plant Indigofera tinctoria and related species. There is a long history, both ancient and in the early colonial times of the importance of Indigo. We will be using Synthetic and Organic Indigo to dye our cloth. These Shibori techniques can create complex looking patterning using simple techniques.
Dyeing with Indigo is unique in that Indigo is insoluble in water in its natural state. The Indigo goes through a process whereby it is ‘reduced’ and put into a liquid state with the oxygen removed. In its ‘reduced’ state, the indigo is a yellow-green color and can penetrate the fibers. When the fabric is removed from the Indigo, the fabric starts to turn blue as the oxygen in the air reacts with the Indigo and the dye then becomes permanent on the fabric. Indigo can be used on cotton, silks and rayon fabrics.
The course runs from 10-4 each day. The workshop fee includes snacks, beverages and lunch on both days. There is a $25 kit fee payable to the instructor on the first day of the workshop.
