Indigo day

Indigo1

Originally uploaded by SOFennell

My horoscope this morning indicated that summer isn’t over yet, not by a long shot. I didn’t need to “consult” that aspect of the paper to figure that out. We’d planned this day some time ago, so I hoped for good weather and it did work in our favor. The cicadas were not so strong, but their lament still hung in the air.

We focused as usual on the indigo and what kinds of patterns we could create on the silk by dyeing and then over dyeing, sometimes several times over. I was amazed to see the subtleties and the depth of hue.

We took a light lunch break: salad and bread with a fruity drink topped with a sprig of mint. Then we went back to work. The day passed quickly but I think the results were quite satisfying.

Taking a day like this reinforces (for me) the necessity of not getting too deeply entrenched in my usual production efforts (ie. prepping for schools). I’m finding that a few hours with friends keeps things fresh and engaging. I also gain inspiration and innovative approaches to my daily activity.

Art Fest

Butterfly

Originally uploaded by SOFennell

The art fest is tomorrow and I’ve been working on “presentation,” more like samples and imagery for teachers and other folk to peruse when they come to my booth. From the early response I’ve had so far, I’ll be doing a little more shibori this coming school year than last – so it appears.

I’m thinking now of an upcoming fall residency at a nearby elementary school where butterflies will be the theme and I’m wondering about shibori with 2nd graders. I think they can do it, but it will be a challenge (for some). It should be a challenge. It challenges high school kids, but it’s also not so difficult.

So, this is a first attempt at play. I wouldn’t work with these colors necessarily, probably something brighter and I’m wondering if some stamping, fabric marker or stitching (embroidery) couldn’t be added to help further define the insect.

Blue Surprise

Blue Surprise

Originally uploaded by SOFennell

So yesterday, we got serious with color. The kids had their introduction to shibori with itajime (clamping) and some binding. They worked with muslin scraps, moved up to 12 inch squares, then tenugui (hand towel) or hachi maki (headband) sized pieces. We used RIT dyes for this particular activity. However, I plan to use Procion as well as indigo as the week moves on.

This particular piece was a complete surprise. The student had initially forgotten to add her “back” pieces for clamping. So, I sent her back to do that and this is the final result. I think “we” are still “cool.”

Completed Project

In the foyer

Originally uploaded by SOFennell

It was my day off, but the day was spent at school. It mostly centered on the after school opening of the “I is for India” project and the installation of the indigo textiles students have been working on. Needless to say, I’m really pleased with how it all came together. The participating students who saw it were also very happy.

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.

Matcha green

Matchagreen1

Originally uploaded by SOFennell

Initially, when I started thinking about doing this month’s residency I considered dyeing the hachmaki, but thinking about the number (300), it seemed over the top. However, I know how important it is to leave something behind when doing a thing like this. So I wound up dyeing some square pieces for the kids to print the fish on in addition to their headwraps. I chose the green after seeing it was one of their school colors, but I thought of the arrival of spring, the various colors of water, our color symbol for the environment, and then again, the color of matcha – used in the tea ceremony. All of these things came to mind in bits and pieces and seemed to fit the various themes (under the guise of fish, of course) we’ll be looking at next week. I hope it works.

挑戦・Chousen 2

5-line drying

Originally uploaded by SOFennell

It’s nearly finished. I had to put in the pattern today as it’s the warmest it’s going to be all week. It rained this morning, but the sun came out briefly this afternoon, so I thought I’d chance it. Right now, it’s hanging on the line. It’s extremely heavy and feels more like heavy canvas. It was awkward hanging it, even so, it’s dragging on the ground. I just want the excess water to hang out.

Last night I played with paper and and ink practicing making patterns. This morning I folded it into triangles and clamped it. Last weekend I ironed and folded it into pleats. So now, all that’s left is to launder and dry it again (and iron it). I also need to finish the edges. I’m not sure if I will serge them and leave them as they are or hem them. If the serging looks good, I may leave it at that.

挑戦/Chōsen/Challenge

A word that keeps coming to mind is 挑戦

（ちょせん)/chōsen, which means challenge.   I have a challenge. I’m making another tablecloth. This time for another niece who is getting married next month. I dyed the same for her sister two summers ago, so I thought I’d do the same for her. This time, though, I asked for table measurements (if the couple had a table) and suggested colors. As it turns out, the table is 96 inches long. So the cloth I am dyeing is over 3 yards long and 58 inches wide. The plan is to work in shibori and western fabric widths are much wider than those in Japan. It really complicates things. There are also other complications.

I wanted to make sure I had a decent “drop” around the edges of the table, hence the width.  That was one of the factors for choosing the fabric, which is a cotton and hemp blend. It will make a good sturdy cloth, but it’s heavy and I can’t easily accomplish what I had planned originally: stitched shibori. So, at this point, I’m thinking the method will be Itajime.

This morning, I did a simulation just to see the potential size and thickness of the folds. I may need to buy thicker wood blocks for the clamps; I’m not sure about that yet. What I have realized is that it’s going to take some experimentation before I get to that part.

Since I’ve also determined that the pattern will be put in by discharge, I’m starting by simply dyeing the fabric. So, right now, it’s sitting in a bucket of dye in my garage.

Fake Yanagi

Fake Yanagi

Originally uploaded by SOFennell

I’m not quite sure what to call this pattern. The reference is yanagi, but that is a much more specific or tightly controlled technique. This is obviously much more random, mimicking what my students do (and I love their results!). It is shibori though.

At any rate, this is one of the items I’m showing in the art fest this weekend. It begins tonight. It feels like I will never stop preparing for it as those small tasks to make things go just right are endless. I keep thinking next year I’ll go one better. I did do that just a little this year, but didn’t fulfill all of my goals. It is said that one should go slowly.

I’ve enjoyed the process though, the shopping for additional “fixtures” and other goodies along the way. I found some new tools for new work coming up and cannot wait to use them.

Indigo Dyeing

Mokume on the line

Originally uploaded by SOFennell

Friday was Indigo Day. Whenever I work like this, I simply have to dedicate the entire day to it. I didn’t start as early as I’d planned but I started working on the vat around 9 a.m. By the time Beth was arriving (10:30), the vat was ready and I had just tested it with a paper towel strip which was a bright yellow green. It quickly changed to emerald then to blue.

I’d been working on pieces over several weeks, so I had about a dozen items to dye. Beth had never done shibori or indigo dyeing and she’d brought a few items from home. So, after a brief introduction to methods, we started working on our various projects. Beth stitched and clamped, I started on the dyeing process.

I started with soaking the pieces in water for roughly 10 minutes (or more), then squeezed it out before slowly immersing them into the vat (so as not to introduce oxygen into the solution). I dipped them each several times for strong light to dark contrast. In the past, I’ve paid strong attention to soak time, but I didn’t this time. Some pieces did soak for a long while during our lunch break, but most of it went quickly. After dyeing, they were rinsed in another bucket of water, then hung on the line to dry.

As I hung them, the cicadas were droning and that’s one of the aspects of this activity that I love so much, at least in the summer. The combination of the summer heat and humidity, the small breezes, indigo on the line and the cicadas…I don’t need anything else.