Join textile artist Deborah Manson over one weekend to learn how to make beautiful natural blues and patterns on cloth using indigo dye and resist techniques: Shibori, Japanese folding and tying and resist paste dye techniques.

This two-day workshop will give you an opportunity to experiment with the magic of indigo and create a series of samples and your own individual textile bag. You will learn how to make a simple indigo vat which you will share with the group over the weekend. Deborah will share her own indigo samples and her passion for natural dye.

This course is suitable for beginners as well as those with more experience.

Most materials and equipment are supplied although students will need to bring the following along: a selection of white or natural coloured fabrics, new or pre-used: 100% cotton, linen, hemp, silk, wool. Please don’t bring man-made fibres as these do not take the dye well.

*YOU WILL BE DYEING SMALL PIECES OF FABRIC AND ALTHOUGH IT IS GOOD TO TRY A RANGE OF DIFFERENT FIBRES IT IS NOT NECESSARY TO HAVE ALL OF THE ABOVE.
*COTTON/LINEN FABRICS MUST BE PRE-WASHED AT A HIGH TEMPERATURE, SILK AND WOOL MUST BE PRE-WASHED AT RECOMMENDED TEMPERATURE.

You will also need: rubber gloves, an apron and a notebook.

Deborah is an artist and maker based in East Sussex. Her practice is studio based and incorporates collage, drawing, print and textiles – including growing and processing her own natural dyes. Her aesthetic – lo-fi, handmade, imperfect, incorporating inexpensive paper, re purposed textiles and natural dye – evolves from her interest in age old craft techniques and the cross overs between art and craft. Her work is informed by the belief that artists have a responsibility to make conscious decisions about materials, approaches to making and their impact on the environment. Deborah studied Visual Communication at Central at Central St Martins and went on to work as a designer and teacher. In 2016 she gained her MA in textiles from Chelsea college of art.

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