Make Your Thunderpants Dance with Deep Into Indigo!
Sunday, June 23, 2019 11:00 am - 3:00 pm
6108 Mineral Point Road, Madison WI 53705
Class Description: You deserve fancy undies! Come and make your own beautifully-patterned, blue and white Thunderpants using the fundamentals of Japanese Shibori technique and natural indigo dyeing. No fabric dyeing experience is required for this workshop. Beginners and experienced dyers are welcome.
Before you dye your Thunderpants, we’ll practice a bit by dyeing a set of cotton napkins using different shibori patterns we will teach you.What you get?:
- Sumptuous al fresco Gluten & Vegetarian sensitive lunch, with time to do some shopping at Z. Bella.
- Workshop kit including 1 set of Thunderpants, Set of 4 cotton napkins, workshop tools, washing instructions & plastic bags to bring home your completed projects
- Dye instruction and introduction to shibori techniques
- All necessary tools and dye
- Chance to dye your own garment or textile item with help
What to Bring: You may also bring along a shirt or other item of your own to dip dye in the vats. Indigo dye only works with natural fiber textiles, so your item must be made of cotton, linen, rayon, or bamboo to be dyed with indigo. If your item has a small percentage of Lycra or another synthetic fiber, it’s still possible to dye it with indigo.
How to Dress: Come to the workshop, dressed in clothes you don’t mind staining blue! Optional: Wear a pair of light colored, cotton canvas shoes to the workshop, and turn them blue while you work!
What is Shibori?: “Shibori” means to fold, clamp, stitch or in some way block off fabric to create patterns when the fabric is dyed. We’ll be experimenting with a variety of shibori techniques to make beautiful patterns. These patterns can be simple or as complex depending on the specific technique. Some of the techniques we will try are Itajime (Block resist), Arashi (Pole Wrap resist), and Kumo (Pleated resist).
What’s So Special About Indigo?: Dyeing with Indigo is like magic! It’s like no other dye. Indigo, which is derived from a plant, is not water soluble, so to make it work as a dye you need to lower the level of oxygen in the vat and raise the pH. There are many recipes to make the vat conditions work. Typically either through fermentation or with the use of chemicals. Once this is done, the liquid in the vat is not blue. The liquid is yellow or brown, depending on the recipe used. The magic happens when you take your piece out of the vat and open it up; once the oxygen hits it, your piece turns blue right before your eyes!
Cost: $94 and it include all of the above, gourmet food and 1 pair of Thunderpants ($24 value).
