Last weekend I taught the Introduction to Organic indigo vats and shibori to a group of keen students! The venue was the Campbell Scout Hall and it suited us well because of the well-equipped kitchen where we had some lovely lunches and morning and afternoon teas (in between dyeing of course!). I am looking forward to the cooler weather so we can light the fire and have some hot soups and wintery fare cooked in the oven there.
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| Some of the happy students with a few of their samples. |
I also showed the students an image of my
Indigofera australis plants that I am growing at home and hoping to harvest this year for a fermentation vat. Although
I.australis is not as strong as
Indigofera tinctoria I would still like to give it a go.
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| 3 Indigofera australis plants in pots, about 2m high |
Right at the very end (4pm) of our two-day workshop, both of our vats got a bit tired and emotional (ha ha!) and so we put them in my van and I took them back to the studio for some TLC. I put their acquarium heaters back in, gave them a lovely dose of fructose, a good stir and a hug, and wrapped them back up in a nice woolen blanket! Ah...if only I was taken care of like that after a rough day....
So this morning when I went back into the studio, this is the sight that greeted me:
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| Nothing beats a happy vat....! |
I am looking forward to the next workshop: Exploring Organic Indigo Vats on 22 & 23 April. There's a lot happening for me in between now and then, so if you are interested more details available
here.
