summer indigo dyeing blues

I know that many of you are finally coming into your spring – with things warming up, plants budding out; gardening and planting might be on your mind.  As you get some of that done and look forward to summer are you considering some indigo dyeing?

indigo flowering 4/30/13

If so, you might consider taking my online indigo dyeing class “Let’s Dye with Indigo“.  Now is a good time to consider starting your vat as the weather warms up.  I just started a new 40 gallon natural fermentation vat and within one week it was already producing beautiful blues.  My class consists of two parts- the 5 lesson workshop plus the student forum. Both are very informative.  You can easily jump from one to the other through links in the sidebar of each.  Four (4) types of vats are explained and maintained.  You choose which one is right for you.

adding the wetted out indigo into the new vat

Although this workshop covers 4 different vat types, continuing posts will focus on the fermentation vat. There have been a lot of things fermenting around here over this past year. Many having to do with how we go about our lives- what we add to it and what we take away from it; the marks we make, the marks we leave behind, perhaps leaving no mark at all!  Fermentation has produced many of the best things we can enjoy in life- wine, beer, miso, bread, yogurt, cheese, pickled vegetables and so much more (even compost!).

Fermentation is a cellular process that occurs in an environment lacking oxygen that converts organic matter into simpler compounds and releases energy as a result (along with the byproduct of many delicious and useful things).

Pretty cool huh?  Simplifying organic matter to create energy and other good things.  I’m gonna stick with that.   I’ll also be adding posts about growing and using indigo as well.

So let’s continue to dye indigo by fermentation this year.  Let’s Experiment. Let’s Wonder. Are you in? If so, sign up here:

Let’s Dye with Indigo-online workshop

Why should you sign up now?  For “This Week Only” (sounds like an infomercial!) I am adding in the Shibori Techniques on Silk -Self Study Online Workshop (usually sold separately for $25). The principles in the shibori techniques class can be applied to your indigo dyeing as well. This sale will be available only until this Saturday   – giving me enough time to add you into the class before the Silk Study Tour to Japan departs. So both classes for the price of the indigo class.  A sort of Sayonara Sale!

the daily dyer preview

Additionally, if you have been a part of my series the daily dyer for the past 5 months, you know we are entering the final month which will be broadcast from Japan.  Thank you to all who have participated in that little experiment- I hope you have found some of it useful or at least entertaining.  This last month should prove to be an exciting month.  I have decided to continue there as well and will be offering  two options for the daily dyer in the shop:

option one: continuing. for original subscribers only. this will secure your subscription through the end of the year.  cost is $35

option two: new subscriber. here you will get access to the full year; the upcoming Japan Silk Study Tour posts and whatever lies beyond that.  the past, the present, and the future. cost is $95.

Sign up in the shop here.

intention

Seems like lately I’ve been in the employ of words ending in -tion and -sion. words like:

instruction, concentration, immersion, connection, destination, impression, revelation, fermentation
and the main one:

intention

All through the recent couple of weeks these words rolled around inside my head and I find that they apply to so many things throughout my day.  All of them though, bound up by intent. I am focusing more on intent these days. Maybe focusing isn’t the right word really.  At least being more conscious of it, wondering about it, taking it into consideration . Noticing it, within myself and beyond.

I think that the silks that Richard brought over made it ever clear. These fabrics have intent. Working with them I can feel and see it. Even though most were produced many decades ago (and maybe especially because they were) the intent seems clear to me.  They are still here.  They were saved all this time. The intent was carried on through many hands into their present form.

old silks

And over time here, I have been wondering not only about silk, but about indigo too. Last year I grew indigo-cut and dried it, even saved the seed.  Eventually I composted the leaves into a claylike mass. Now, I have made a fermentation vat with the homegrown indigo.  I think the past is about to meet the future, blending the past with the future, sustainably.

silk boro indigo

This intention has been brewing in me for a very long time. Some days I think maybe since the dawn. I am only beginning to recognize it as such. I can be a slow learner…

planting seeds and wondering into the new year

seeds.  i’ve written about seeds a number of times this past year. and things related to seeds.  seeds are the beginning of things. they contain the wonderful possibility of life,  sustenance, beauty and even of freedom.   i’ve always been a seed saver.  when i was a kid it was fun to collect seeds to play with-to make things with. i remember having great fun collecting nasturtium seeds- so plentiful and easy to gather.  all sizes, shapes and colors.  string them,  glue them, count them, eat them, plant them.  seeds.

edible nigella seeds from the summer garden.

a couple of months ago i had the good fortune to be in Santa Clara for a family wedding and came across the Luther Burbank  home and gardens.  if you are ever in Santa Clara try to make time to stop by (the docent tour was also fantastic). I was so intrigued by this man- i bought this book -A Gardener Touched with Genius and have been reading it off and on…so interesting! The place is beautiful, gardens diverse and the house is quaint and wonderfully restored.  but my favorite thing was this:

Luther Burbank’s seed vault

this is how he thought of his seeds.  precious. so much so that they were kept in a vault. there also was a small shed with a little window from which he sold his seeds to neighbors and to the public. a walk around the neighborhood reveals that many of the yards still contain plants grown from his seeds. charming!  he also had an experimental farm at nearby Sebastopol. i hope to visit it sometime this year.  this video really speaks to who he was:

now i have mentioned once or twice before that silk moth eggs are called seeds by the Japanese.  and they do look like seeds.  i have a fair collection myself in the butter compartment of the fridge. i wonder if and when i will have a chance to raise silkworms this year?

silkworm eggs-seeds

of course i will grow indigo again, in fact it is already growing! seeds that dropped while collecting the flower stems have already sprouted in this mild climate of ours.  we had some nice soft rain that coaxed them…  i gave away most of my extra indigo seeds -i like to send them out into the hands of those who take the indigo workshops. i wonder how many will plant them?

sometimes seeds are dropped- sprout and grow! we don’t always know how or where they will bloom

I am also growing something new this year- madder.  i will be experimenting with it. with combining  madder and indigo.  i thought it might be about time to add a second color to the natural dyescape of my studio.  i’m not one to try anything and everything- i like to delve into things fairly deep and that means taking my time with it and not rushing.  madder grows rather slowly and it will take  couple of years for it to mature to the point where it can be harvested.  honestly, i wonder if i will even get to that point with it.  but i have some madder root here now that i have purchased and watching some grow will only add to my knowledge base.  i was intrigued by madder several years ago when on the silk study tour we visited a natural dyer who showed me his experiments with it and some madder he had grown. he planted a seed in me that started me wondering.  it’s taken a while to germinate… i wonder what new things will come of this.

Natural Dyeing Master Youjiro Takezawa shows us his madder root from the garden (Mr.Takezawa passed away 2 years ago. His wife succeeded his studio)
4-388 Umedamachi Kiryu city, Gunma japan japan,silk

seeds are a good way of spreading wonder i think.  that is what i intend to continue with this year. spreading wonder  and planting seeds in small ways.  there’s a lot to wonder about. may the ground be fertile!

happy new year!

the daily dyer

something new…

Lately I’ve been so very thankful to everyone who has been turning out for classes both online and in person. It is a real pleasure to see so much interest in dyeing, silk, indigo and just general interest in what I do.  It is wonderous to see you the students come to these classes with your own intentions and desires and then take the information off to create on your own.  Some of you create just for the sheer pleasure of it, some with the intention of starting your own small business.  It is great to know that many are thinking in that direction-thinking independently. Just keep going is what I have to say about that.  It takes time.  Do not expect things to happen immediately, instantly, or forever. Start small. Grow it.  You are the seed. You have to keep plugging away at it. Inventing, creating, wondering on a daily basis. Seeds need nourishment and so will you.

This leads me to the next thing.  With this level of interest the daily emails with questions grow. The requests to go here and there increase. Some of the questions sound like this:

-when is your next class?(working on that…deciding…figuring out finances…)

-will you be teaching near me soon?(dunno-where are you?)

- can I come work for you-for free-so I can learn! (surprisingly, many of these offers! thank you so much for the offer-but I can’t do that for many reasons)

-can you come teach here in Israel/Japan/Canada/? (wouldn’t that be cool?)

-I’m in your neighborhood, can I stop by? (uh, sorry-no)

-we’d love to have you at our show will you come? (unlikely-many to consider and many financial considerations are involved)

-I need to turn in a report on my favorite artist-will you answer these 20 questions?(most of which the answers can be found by reading a few pages on my blog-but thanks for thinking of me)

-and myriad questions about dyeing,shibori, silk, indigo, growing indigo, seeds, shows, orders (YAY!- helps pay the bills!) and so much more. Time!  I need more time (maybe time traveling is an answer)!

I wonder how to divy myself up in enough pieces to satisfy more- to spread my growing knowledge further and the daily practice of it in a way that serves us all? In a way that helps me and helps you.

I tested this idea out some time back but I wasn’t quite ready for it.  I am now.  Things come with their own time and place and I think now is the time.  So here it is:

the daily dyer

-a place for daily snippets of dyeing for a living- which is what I do. Even I don’t know what each day will offer- that is part of the lesson. But come along and get a glimpse. This doesn’t take the place of the other more technique based classes or in person workshops (or the blog here either). It’s meant to teach in a different way.  And I think we all know that there are many ways of learning and that people learn in different ways. Along the way. Yes, along the way. As I write that, I realize that is what this is about. Globe trotting is very costly- the teachers costs must be covered-  and thus workshops for those sorts of events are expensive and understandably not in the budget for everyone.

For you, it will give you a part of me and my work that hasn’t been available so far. It will give you another way to learn. $60 for 6 months. That’s about 35 cents a day- the cost of a daily good cup of coffee when I was born-over 50 years ago…or the cost of two overpriced cups of coffee a month now ( I may have been listening to too much public radio these days..).

For me, it allows me to reach further, deeper, and continue serving in another affordable way for all of us. Also, it’s a daily commitment, a practice of daily teaching and learning.

But really, what have you got to lose? You can sign up for a one month subscription for $25 which can be applied towards the 6 month subscription if you add it before the one month ends. (kind of a layaway plan of sorts.)

The daily dyer begins December 15 and continues through June 15, 2013.

Subscriptions for the first 6 months will be available now through Dec 15th only. I’ve also added the possibility of gift certificates in the shop- and some are conveniently set at the price of a daily dyer subscription.   I wonder if you’ll check it out…

in studio arashi shibori workshop

Lines, pleats, patterns, texture-this is arashi shibori now.

Many have been asking for this- an in studio workshop focusing on arashi shibori technique-

here it is!  (click the link to sign up and for more info…)

limited to 4 only

2 days

Nov 30 -Dec 1, 2013

arashi on silk gauze

double arashi detail

those who kill the creative joy

After yesterday’s somewhat subtle post and other ongoing nonsense which once again took up a bunch of my time to deal with -here is what is going on.

An online shibori techniques on silk class has been announced on another site.  (I actually know this person as she was a past customer who has previously asked my thoughts on formatting her own online teaching site-I shared my experience with her.  She even asked me to teach there.  I have not, preferring to do my own thing -as usual.)  Interested in her new online shibori class offering, I clicked to the class signup page.  I saw it was being taught by someone who has taken all my own online dye classes.   The images selected to present for the class seemed a bit off.  Having seen an awful lot of shibori I questioned the site owner as to whether or not these pieces were the work of the instructor.  She assured me they were.  I actually signed up for the class, wondering.

Then, I received my DYERSlist email for the day.  There, the List Mom is promoting this same online shibori class.  I wondered about this.  I emailed the List Mom and asked if I could also put a link to my online classes there.  I asked because it was my understanding that since this list is hosted on a public university site there was to be no personal commercial promotion.  I received back an email saying that no, I couldn’t post like that-that I would need to have someone else post for me, preferably someone who had taken the class. I emailed back and asked if she had taken this class. No response so far (impossible I think as the class hasn’t yet occurred).  OK.

So back to the class listing.  I decided my best recourse was to do a new blog post (yesterdays post) and remind folks that I too have a class offering online shibori techniques on silk.  So I did.  So as a matter of course I was looking over my class site and re-reading what I had written almost 2 years ago.  Uh oh.

Some thing seemed odd.  I clicked over to the class on A for Artistic and saw the write up for the class with new eyes.  It is word for word the intro to my class.  Seriously.  Word for freaking word. I hadn’t recognized it the first time around as it has been a long time.  I wonder what the other materials for the class look like?

Screen Shot 2012-09-21 at 2.01.08 PM

I took screen shots of it so you can see it yourself-in case it gets changed.  I imagine once I post this  it might be removed (and the link above may not continue to work).   I approach it this way for a reason… as an example of what can go wrong when you host classes by people you (apparently) don’t know… when you don’t check things out yourself…when the urge to make a buck or two or to gain some sort of attention gets ahead of doing the right thing.

And who knows what is in the mind of someone who is copying and pasting the work of someone else and calling it their own?  In that moment doesn’t some kind of bell go off?  A twinge of guilt perhaps?  You obviously know what you are doing is wrong (of course you do!).   And now you have drawn others into your chaos…those who host your class…those who promote it sight unseen…people who sign up…other artists and makers that are part of the association or co-op where you teach and who support you and cheer you on.   Even I was taken aback by this brazenness.  Huh?? Just clicking to the previous link I newly discover that the write ups for her other shibori classes now posted all over the internet are very, very close to those I have written for other venues such as Quilt Festival, HGA, JANM and so forth.  This sort of nonsense calls everything you do into question. How can you not understand this?

OK.  So can we have some rules to follow here?

• Create your own class descriptions.
• Write up your own handouts.
• Use images of your very own work to promote your teachings.
• Create original content-both visually and in words
• Have a little respect.  If not for others, just for yourself for cripes sakes.
• Recognizing that much art is derivative, and that we learn from one another, provide a reasonable, if not complete, reference to your source. Give them credit and then add your own twist. (added from Martha’s suggestion in the comment section- thanks Martha!)

Some may think posting this is “unfair” or harsh.  I am willing to take responsibility for this and hope that whatever wrath I suffer will be balanced out by someone thinking twice before doing this again-to me or any other person trying to make a living off their work and using the internet in that pursuit.  I hope it helps in some small way.

Those of us who make a living encouraging creativity, artistry, learning, & craft want to share what we do and see others take what they learn and make it into something of their own. Speaking for myself, I want to enhance and expand your creative joy and sense of wonder. I enjoy teaching you new things in new ways…offering a new view.  I am not looking to see it duplicated or slightly modified so you can put it out there as your own.  What purpose does that serve anyone?  These sorts of instances take away the joy I find in doing what I do.  Please don’t kill the joy.

Last night I dreamt that every time I lifted my hand to the sky, a hummingbird landed on it. They were beautiful! And last week, I held a dragonfly who was on the verge of drowning in the backyard pond.

he sunned himself in the grass and flew away-

Online Silk Shibori Techniques workshop

I thought I would remind folks newly interested in learning shibori techniques that my original online shibori techniques workshop is still available in my online bigcartel shop.  It has been there for over a year now  since I originally posted it- many have taken it.  After the first initial run of the class I reworked it into a self-study class for a very fair price of $25 (that’s $5 per lesson!).

Here is the intro to my online shibori workshop:

The beauty of shibori is that it was created in a much simpler time, yet resulted in some stupendous fabric designs and possibilities. It was created out of ingenuity and a desire to have decorative fabrics for the masses. You don’t need a lot of fancy equipment to make yourself some basic shibori fabrics. In fact, most of what you need can probably be found in your kitchen, your garage or just hanging around the house.

As an anniversary of sorts, I am going to include a 20 minute skype call with the purchase of this class through the end of October.  You can use this call for a review of your work at the end of the class, for one-on-one help on a particular technique, or just to chat.

It’s always a pleasure to encourage creativity and wonder through shibori. Shibori is good for that. It encourages problem solving and original thought-I think that is what drew me to it in the first place and has continued my interest. I am also going to go on into the class and update a few things, perhaps add a little here and there as well.  It’s been a while since I checked in over there.

As always, the online class is always there for you regardless of timezone and time of day. No commuting necessary.  There for you when you are there and ready to check in.  No roll call needed, and you’re never late to class!

My other online classes include:

Let’s Dye with Indigo!

and

Indigo Mandala Workshop with Richard Carbin and Shibori Girl

I give you the techniques and you make it your own! You can be assured that the images I post here, on my flickr, and in my classes are of my own work (unless noted) and not of the work of others. Some examples include:

(R)evolving

Again, another post sparked by a series of emails with a customer and reader of the blog.  No details as the specifics are not important, but in the end it came down to the topic of the evolution of ideas, of creating, and remaking an idea into something you can call your own.

This morning I woke up and for some reason the word revolve was in my head.  I believe it is because of this conversation with Emily and even a post a few back and a very good comment by Cyndi who said:

“

I used to attempt to copy a very spiritual artist’s work because her paintings were beautiful, yet seemed so effortless. My work was pretty but unsatisfying. After struggles and deep pain entered my walk, I looked at her work with fresh eyes. It meant far more than brush strokes and technique.

The risk of putting something out there is that we can’t dictate how every individual will experience it. For some it may appear a simple craft to replicate or an effortless painting of pretty mixed colors. The journey stops in mere practice for them. However, the beauty of the connection of the feathers and their place in a greater context is priceless. For all those who may copy your work, you have touched something within them with the desire to create. For others, they may go for a walk on the path less chosen and find feathers and blessing enough to make a pair of wings.”

So, another reminder and thank you to both Cyndi and Emily – teaching and learning are like chickens and eggs.

It appears that I am in a (r)evolving phase in other things as well.  It’s left me feeling kind of blue and a little bit deranged.  I have lots of work to do and will be updating the shop with some indigo in a few days.  Trying to catch the last of the summer indigo…you never know when summer starts and stops around here.

i’m still listening to this one…

Also taking some time is the upcoming silk exhibit in Houston.  Here is some information on it:

I’ve never done an exhibit before and am feeling my way through much of it.  If it ever happens again, I’ll know what to improve on for sure.  It’s not over yet.  The folks at Quilts Inc. have been very helpful and supportive as has both Maggie and Katrina.  But I feel the pressure for sure. These things all sound good and exciting in the beginning but there is always a point (for me) when  I begin w o n d e r i n g . . .but I think it’s pretty well under control now.Phew!

There are many exciting pieces in the show- John Marshall was kind enough to lend this silk shibori piece-

yardage tied and died and shaped into a decorative lobster. likely a wedding gift. and a kimono using the same fabric. thank you John Marshall!!

 

India Flint workshop in Los Angeles

India Flint wanders to Los Angeles

Yes, it is true! India Flint will be in Los Angeles to give a 3 day workshop (July 30,31,& Aug 1) at the studio and shop of Claudia Grau in Los Angeles.  I don’t know Claudia, but she contacted me to let me know there are still a few spaces left and wondered if I knew anyone who might want to join the workshop.  India’s west coast trip has her in the Santa Barbara area giving a workshop there as well but that one sold out rather quickly and hence the LA area workshop was quickly conceived.  There really is not much time to ponder it as registration will close on Friday (this Friday!).  I hope to attend as well although I will be just finishing up the Long Beach International Quilt Festival and the Houston Silk Exhibit planning team will be in town to meet so time is pretty booked.

India Flint Workshop in Los Angeles

For those of you who might not be familiar with India and her work, she is the author on two two books, Eco Color and Second Skin, both books on sustainable dyeing using local windfall to color cloth. She wanders and wonders wherever the trade winds take her, sharing her knowledge, experience, and methods with dyers worldwide. It is a rare chance to be able to have her in Southern California.

Speaking of books, I recently received a copy of a book called Shibori Recreated produced in Australia which features the work of 20 shibori artists, dyers, and makers worldwide.  I was asked to participate in this project and found myself in the company of some others whose work I admire greatly- Hiroshi Murase, Yvonne Wakabayashi, and India Flint to name a few.  I was also pleased to be introduced to the work of Sally Campbell and Barbara Rogers (among others), two shibori-ists whom I had not been previously aware.  The choice of covers for the book (front and back), leave a little to be desired as they don’t convey the topic of shibori very effectively in my opinion.  But I was interested in the content.  Each artist was asked the same set of questions about their own work, shibori in general-past and present, and the future of shibori in terms of technology and this modern world, among other things.  It was interesting to read the artists answers, in their own words, from such a broad and diverse set of folks whose work all focuses on shibori.  I found there were several consistent themes running through the answers of many and thoroughly enjoyed reading through them.    The only other caveat I would add is that the font style and size that was chosen makes for extremely difficult reading.  An odd choice for a book that you want people to read and is actually worth reading.  I think it might be a case of getting carried away with design and form over function.  But all in all, I enjoyed it.

Back to the workshop- if you are anywhere in SoCal and want to wonder and wander a bit with India Flint, give Claudia a call, an email or click to the link to join in- I hope to be there to join you!

hanamayu- はなまゆ

Over the weekend the silk moths began to emerge.  This year I separated out a half dozen or so of the best white and yellow cocoons for mating.  Last year,  I let them mix and got a lot of variations.  We will see where this leads.

Mr Koizumi, the former Director of the Yokohama Silk Center show us cocoons from all the past periods of Japan’s sericulture history. So many types!

When I was at the Silk Center in Yokohama recently, I picked up a book on silk cocoon flowers (hanamayu- はなまゆ or cocoon flower) by artist Tomiko Sakai. She is a Nagoya native and has been making her fantastic floral creations for over 20 years. Each diminutive blossom is often fashioned into larger sprays with each complete floral work worthy of display at the most formal event. Imagine wedding, tea ceremony, formal entry, or any honorific occasion. One day, I would love to see some of her work in person. She uses only the finest of Gunma produced silk cocoons.  I see that an exhibit of her work was sponsored by both the Gunma Prefectural Government and the Tokyo Silk Science Research Center-both entities that we have visited on previous Silk Study tours.  I wonder…

The book is all in Japanese and was the only one in stock but has an ISBN 0f 4-89977-174-6 which you might be able to track down if desired.  I think the title is something like “Flower Born of a Silk Cocoon” but don’t quote me on that. I will contact the museum in Yokohama prior to our visit there next year and ask about the possibility of having a few in stock for our group when we are there.

The flowers are not anything like the ones I recently did but I would like to see what I could create based on some of her works.  Her craftsmanship (or perhaps the craftsmanship of her studio directed by her) is supreme.  She also uses some of the stained cocoons, incorporating the natural stains created by the emerging moths into the works.  My recent trials pale in comparison!

And on Saturday, I had the privilege of giving an indigo shibori workshop for a group of great high school kids here in So Cal.  Their teacher, Debra, has been the art teacher at this school (gr 7-12) for 32 years and you can tell that she loves her work and that her students love her.  This is a great credit to her, as difficult as it is to be a teacher in the public school system these days, she is full of energy and ideas for her students.  As she told me, she was in the right place at the right time and this is a very special school.  The students were wonderful and we all had a great time.  Several of the students are off to college soon and this was a great way for them to end the year.  A few pics:

the group and Debra waving from the back

gathering threads

discovering the results and wondering

resisting the temptations to pull it up and look

they got a glimpse of arashi shibori too-

volvo doubles as a clothes line…

some results- they all did a sample stitched piece before trying the dragonfly motif

and before i left i turned the drying indigo

me waving to you and the dried and separated first indigo harvest

early summer garden- happy to say that i have been meeting my personal challenge to feed us at least something daily out of the garden here for over a year. may it continue!

Thanks to Cathy Bullington of Elephant Booty for the idea to save all the various harvests through the summer and use an ice chest for a composting bin.  Also, thanks to jude for  introducing me to Debra’s blog Artisun through the link in her sidebar.

Now back to the dyepot, cocoons.