Dye Journal

Explorations in Natural Dyeing, Indigo, Shibori, Weaving, Sashiko, and all things textile related.

Shibori - Taka Ishii 04
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Shibori - Taka Ishii 04

Part of the Awonoyoh Shibori subscription, the Taka Ishii 04 pattern reminds me of the scales of a Coy fish.

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Shibori - Taka Ishii Shibori 06
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Shibori - Taka Ishii Shibori 06

Part of the ongoing Awonoyoh Shibori subscription, this pattern Taka Ishii Shibori 06, The current series of this subscription has focused on unique shibori techniques created by Sensei Taka.

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Eco Dye - Baby Blanket
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Eco Dye - Baby Blanket

A special commission for a Taino friend expecting a new baby, I dyed this 100@ Cotton Muslin baby blanket using Golden Marguerite (grown and harvested at our own Breuwen garden), Logwood, Onion skins, and garlic skins….

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Sashiko - Zenizashi Stitch
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Sashiko - Zenizashi Stitch

This was my first Sashiko Hana Fukin piece. I made this as part of a Sashiko stitching community challenge. The pattern is called Zenizashi. Zenisashi breaks down to ‘Zeni’ meaning money or coins, and ‘sashi’ meaning to string. This refers to the tradition of stringing coins together…

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Bojagi - Cochineal
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Bojagi - Cochineal

I created a Bojagi piece using my color range of Cochineal at various tannin and mordant steeping times & ferrous sulfate color shifts on handwoven linen….

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Shibori - Akiyama
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Shibori - Akiyama

Akiyama (秋山) is a common Japanese surname meaning "autumn mountain," combining Aki(秋 - autumn/fall) and Yama(山 - mountain). Part of the Awonoyoh Shibori subscription, Sensei Taka shared ‘I think this Shibori is one of the most popular Shibori. It is a very modern design. Because of the complexity of sewing this Shibori, the technique is not included in Shibori books around the world. I think it is a very valuable technique to reveal.’

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Shibori - Kawari Mokume
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Shibori - Kawari Mokume

The term Kawari Mokume (変わり木目 or 変り木目) in Japanese translates to"unusual wood grain"or"abnormal wood patterns". It is a compound term used in various traditional Japanese crafts. Kawari (変わり or 変り): Meaning change, alteration, difference, unusual, or abnormality. Mokume (木目): Meaning wood grain or wood patterns…

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