I’ve been fascinated with shibori techniques for quite sometime, but it wasn’t until I received my copy of this Shibori book that I knew I had to experiment and document my own results.
I began by attending the HGA Convergence Conference in Rhode Island to mainly source natural dyes and local fibers. I came back with a healthy supply of mordants, powdered dyes, roots, an emptier bank account, and enough inspiration to start straight away.
During this round of scarves, I found that weaving weft-face shibori was all fun and games until the time to pull and tie the threads was upon me. I had to use gardening gloves to protect my skin against cuts made from the thread I used. This fairly mundane task was made easier by watching Netflix. I also realized that using a different weight yarn for a tester and expecting the look to be the same with a smaller yarn is hilariously idealistic.
For mordants, I used alum, iron, and a copper pot. The copper pot, though beautiful, was highly unpredictable even with my scientific notes. I just had to give in to the mystery of what would emerge. Some of the natural dyes used are indigo, brazilwood, logwood grey, logwood, and alkanet. I’m loving the brazilwood as a ground, though it’s not the most sustainable use for the dye. Alas…here are my first naturally dyed shibori scarves! Fabric is 100% Organic Cotton grown in California by Sally Fox.
Looming Jane 