Shibori Indigo

My practice and research has centred on wax resist techniques but in my research for contemporary designers I decided to enrol for a shibori workshop with Isabella Whitworth who lives in Devon. After a 6a.m. start and a 3+ hour journey I arrived at the Ardington Art Centre near Oxford.
Isabella Whitworth:

 'Over the years my working priorities have changed and developed, as have teaching venues and the technology to write and publish online. These days I still work with wax-resist on silk but I also produce natural-dyed silk and wool scarves, and research methods of using natural dyes with wax resist. For several years I have been researching historical dyes in a more academic form, which can involve intense and concentrated writing, working with colleagues in the fields of botany, chemistry, conservation or textiles, and the presentation of papers at conferences. In 2011 I curated  Fleece First,  an exhibition at the Devon Guild of Craftsmen which brought together makers, sheepbreeders, manufacturers and innovators using South West fleece.'
She currently works as a voluntary editor for the Journal for Weavers, Spinners and Dyers, with the responsibility for articles on dyeing. The Journal is a unique publication produced by a committed team of like-minded people drawn from several UK Guilds.

 Isabella explained the indigo process, she showed us examples of shibori (a posh name for tie and dye!) - stitched tied and clamped,which we would be trying.
Could shibori be an interesting way to provide a grid or background for wax resist?
I was interested in her methods for the indigo vats which were heated to a temperature of 50 as we would be working with silk.
She makes a stock solution of indigo - 20 gm of indigo and 250 ml of water. The indigo is added to the hot water in a jar ( a marble or small stone keeps the liquid from settling) and put into a bain marie of hot water with the lid loose to allow steam to escape. The Stock Solution is left in the Bain Marie overnight.
50ml of SS is mixed with water and the Ph measured. She uses washing soda to adjust the alkaline level to 9. To de oxygenate the solution she adds a teaspoonful of Hydros and emphasised the dangers of inhaling Hydros . Also the importance of keeping it dry.
The vat is rested for an hour.
Fabrics are wetted first to avoid adding oxygen to the vat. They are dipped for the same amount of time that they are hung in the air to oxygenise and re dipped if necessary.

 Instead of doing silk scarves I tried various methods of Japanese folding techniques.

Think there may be potential in shibori Japanese folding techniques but I need to try cotton and the wool delaine fabrics. The white areas left by the blocks could be used for wax resist but the blue would need to be waxed out or perhaps use with weld/madder.
There were some interesting scarves

This scarf has been folded into triangular shapes and each corner bound with dental thread which is waxed and strong.

                                                                       
 This is the scarf being untied.

                                                                                                                                            








 More experimenting I think - there are always new pathways to explore - but I want to finish the plan to develop designs which I interpret with the methods I have already tried ie use the tools with wax.
It has been useful to see how Isabella has developed her career and how teaching forms a large part of her income. She has been researching lichens in dyeing which has taken a lot of research, collaborations and practical experimentation - she will be publishing a book soon. So I'm not sure how much making is part of her business but her website is very user friendly and informative.
Website - is another consideration for me!