All Things Indigo
Workshop Fee: $440.00
There are several varieties of plants that contain indigotin pigment that are used by traditional cultures all over the world to obtain the color blue. At Sanborn Mills Farm we grow Persicaria tinctoria, also known as Polygonum or Japanese indigo. For this pigment to be accessible to dyers, it must be extracted from the leaves and then put into an alkaline solution with a reducing agent. This turns the liquid greenish yellow. After the fiber is removed from the vat looking green, the magic happens right before your eyes as it oxidizes. In this class, we will be working with fresh indigo which we will harvest from the dye garden at Sanborn Mills. Using fresh leaves, ice cubes, and a blender we can dye silk scarves immediately for a lovely blue. Multiple batches can deepen the color. We will also extract pigment from the leaves in a two-day process of soaking, aerating, precipitating and filtering. Then we can use this pigment to make an indigo vat for dyeing protein and cellulose. The essentials of fiber preparation, scouring for different kinds of fibers, and finishing will be covered for best results. Silk Scarves and cotton cloth will be used for samples in class. White bandanas, and cotton t-shirts will be available for students to purchase if desired. Students may also bring some used clothing for over-dyeing or up-dyeing if they wish to work on them after regular class hours. Simple shibori techniques will be taught. We will also make clay resist paste for painting and printing. Students will finish the class with a selection of samples and a notebook of recipes and techniques. All workshops run from 9AM- 5PM with an hour for lunch in the middle of the day.
Materials Fee: Basic – $50 Paid at time of workshop. Includes fabric for samples, all dyes and assists, notebook of recipes and instructions. Other dye blanks (scarves and shawls) will be available for purchase.
12 in stock
