Indigo & Henna vat

Indigo & Henna vat resultsOriginally uploaded by SOFennell

The image is of small samples, results from a henna/indigo vat – something I’ve been wanting to experiment with since this earlier this summer. I’m finally able to focus on it and am enjoying the results.

I had in mind the coming workshop for classroom teachers, upcoming at Artspace – thinking of presenting a vat that would be safe and approachable for the classroom.  In this case, I was thinking more of the younger set – the elementary group.  Of course, it’s really beyond that, but they were my focus since I’ve had some experience with presenting the vat to that age group (and higher).

I don’t know if at this point, if the workshop is going to come off (there’s still room…), but I’ve gained something just by the experiment. It’s a healthy direction and as I said earlier, I like the results and look forward to further work with it.

Meredith workshop

shibori on the lawn

Originally uploaded by SOFennell

After dyeing their scarves, the students either hung them on a line indoors or spread them out on the grass. It was a perfect day for indigo & shibori.

Being back on campus was delightful as always and I really enjoyed the class. The young women were careful with their work, engaged and enthusiastic, especially after unbinding their pieces. Some of their results will be submitted for an exhibit on resist which will go up later this coming spring.

If it looks like it was just a day of dipping and sun, it was hardly the case, it was work.  The women posed a lot of thoughtful and challenging questions about Indigo, the properties of it, its limitations and characteristics that I couldn’t always answer.  That’s what I liked about it – the challenges, questions and further exploration that the situation presented.

So, when I came home, the first thing I did was make notes about those queries and that’s where I am at this point – thinking, playing, experimenting…and these things will manifest in a scarf or furoshiki, another textile piece or in another lesson.

rumpus – elementary shibori

rumpus2

Originally uploaded by SOFennell

In spite of all mishaps, slow beginnings, and a reluctant vat, it worked. The kids, rising 3rd graders, rose to it and I might have had a few questions except that they were inquisitive. So I was convinced.

Each class lasted about an hour with one small break between and I needed that to recoup, let the dye rest and grab a few bites. It was intense. I watched the time and just kept moving, mostly giving instruction and keeping an eye on the vat ( the teachers kept watch on their students) which was not doing its stellar thing. It worked well enough for satisfying results and the students gave their approval.

They practiced with at least two 9 by 9 inch muslin squares (if there was time, I gave them a 3rd). They were given string and rubberbands for binding in various ways. Some had never worked that way, but caught on quickly. After their smaller practice pieces, they were given a larger 12 x 16 in. piece(roughly) that they manipulated in the same way. Pieces went into a tub of water for soaking before going into the dye vat.

After that, it was like bees to honey. They wanted to help, help the pieces soak, put the pieces in the vat, unbind their pieces…anything they could think of and they loved the dye.

Workshop Prep

CA-prep1

Originally uploaded by SOFennell

The last couple of days have been filled with organizing, planning and packing up what I need for only 2 days, but six mini-workshops for 9th graders in a nearby high school.

It’s my first series in this school year, and like being able to start out with my favorite subject matter, aizome shibori. I also enjoy the age group, so it should be an enjoyable experience.

They’ll be introduced to the indigo dye vat working with silk scarves and handkerchiefs. This also gives me an opportunity to introduce the topic of silk production and I’m looking forward to that.

Matcha Green all lined up

Matchagreen2

Originally uploaded by SOFennell

This morning, first thing, I washed out the excess dye and hung 75 small squares on the line. They measure about 12 x 13 inches. I’m not sure all of them will be used in the final project. It was a pleasant task though. Hanging them in the cool and light of an early spring morning with bird and insect call in the background. I heard traffic too, but tried not to pay too much attention to that. I much prefer hanging pieces on the line as opposed to the dryer.

Code Red

This image was on the front page of this morning’s N&O, with a statement saying we were on red alert (pollution levels). Apparently we were yesterday (Thurs.) as well. It was a lot hazier and the air was full of smoke all day. The smoke from the wildfires in Eastern NC came through the area. Needless to say, it cast a pall over the city. I was at school, finishing up and saying good-bye to faculty friends for the summer. By evening it seemed to be clearing, but the alert was still on for today, so I didn’t take my usual morning walk at Shelley and stayed in.

So, it was a good day to begin my first official day of vacation. I started thinking more seriously about my class on kite making at Artspace coming up in less than two weeks. It will be a much smaller class than last year’s, so I’m feeling relaxed about it. I do have to gather a few supplies though and need to prepare them. Since I was indoors today, I spent time at the sewing machine finishing up a few “blank canvases” (actually furoshiki) to ready them for shibori and dyeing. I think indigo will be the color.

If all goes well, the air will be clearer tomorrow and I can take my walk.

Shibori Landscapes 2

SL6

Originally uploaded by SOFennell

Finally, Shibori Landscapes has been installed. The students who created the forty 3′ x 5′ long pieces strung and hung them this morning in the school courtyard. The weather was perfect for it and I’m sure they enjoyed being out of their classroom. The project referenced Christo and Jeanne-Claude with one idea that it would change the way the students and teachers perceived their school environment (or a part of it). It involved stringing the fabric along a clothesline, then pinning them in place so that they couldn’t shift. Dee had asked for faculty permission to access their windows so that we could tie the lines to them. Some cooperated and some did not so that some of our plans had to be altered. However, with the aid of an administrator and one IB coordinator, we got them up. Once up, the responses were immediate. Students and teachers who came into the courtyard remarked on and enjoyed it. It made them smile. They wanted to be under the pieces, lying on benches where they could look up at them, sit nearby or even wanted to have their pictures taken with them in the background. It was even a bit of a sensation from some surrounding classrooms. It’s a temporary “exhibition” so the pieces will hang for only a few days.

Shibori workshop-in class

Fuchsias & Reds

Originally uploaded by SOFennell

I get carried away with the camera when I see newly dyed fabric out on the line. Yesterday was a particularly beautiful day and there was a strong breeze which helped them to dry quickly. There were 40 pieces (roughly) and I only had 3 lines strung. So, I hung them 20 at a time. By the time the first batch was hung, the first pieces were dry and it was time to get more up on the line.

It’s all student work with a couple of sensei pieces as well, but they all blend in. I love the work the kids do, it’s so uninhibited. One girl described it as “sick” which is defined as good!

Today I took the pieces to class for a discussion and evaluation. We still haven’t come to the final part of the project yet and I’m not going to divulge that until the right time. Anyway, we distributed the pieces so the kids could look at and enjoy them. They wound up wrapping themselves up in them in as many ways as they could think of. They loved their work. My camera batteries died, so I couldn’t get shots of this, but it was funny to see…scarves around their necks, headwraps, shawls, blankets or hoods. At the end of class, however, they had to part with them for the next stage – hemming and putting in a casing.

Shibori workshop cont.

Rinsing & washing

Originally uploaded by SOFennell

Yesterday was a long one. The Shibori workshop extended into this week with unbinding the pieces and washing them on Tuesday. It took 2 class periods to accomplish this. It really was like a party around the sinks. In the process we found a leak in sink #3, so we were limited to only two. I took the pieces home in the afternoon to hang on my clotheslines and I’ll post more images of that later. I’ve started ironing them and we’ll complete that process over the weekend. Next week, the home ec dept. will finish them, then we’ll finally hang them somewhere around school (not sure where yet, maybe the courtyard).

Workshop

Today was an easy day, lecturing and instructing 2 high school classes about shibori, then giving instruction. We gave the students pieces of cotton measuring 3 x 5 feet long and had them manipulate them in some form: binding, tying, clamping or pole wrapping. On Friday I’ll mix the dyes and get the pieces in to soak. I’m interested in seeing these results. Kids always have such a different take on shibori. I never know what they’ll come up with.