Dyeing experiments in silk |

I’d like to believe I’m not as fickle as it might seem, not a total butterfly, but perhaps my boredom/discouragement threshold is low.

So currently, I’m enthused by dyeing silk Shibori style. I still sew, but I haven’t woven in a while.

I’d taken a workshop with Iteeha in January last year in tie and dye Shibori. I was very happy with the stole I dyed for myself after careful planning, but didn’t really intend taking it any further. Ritika (the force behind Iteeha) mentioned several times to me in subsequent meetings that she kept hoping to spot some of my learnings in my Instagram posts.

I’ve participated in several sales since then. But mostly in a closed circle, so I began to feel like I was showing the same items or the same fabrics to the same audience. So when an opportunity arose for a further sale in which I agreed to take part purely because of the symbolic significance and not with any real hopes of dwelling anything, I decided to step out of my usual zone and try something new. A wild (for me) risk. I decided to dye some stoles for sale.

Not having the courage to do this at home the first time, I went to the Iteeha studio and dyed my first batch of 8. To my utter gratification, I sold 5.

Since then I’ve been and bought the supplies and begun dyeing at home. My daughter loves to help, as well.

There is something about the abstract geometry that strongly appeals to me. There isn’t a guarantee of what colour or pattern will emerge when you open the cloth up, and yet almost always the results are enchanting.

My first batch at home was kind of wilder than the previous one from Iteeha. I tried several colours and tying patterns.

Don’t they look gorgeous? I’m shamelessly promoting them wherever I can.

I’m now considering whether to dye a saree length, although it is slightly daunting to think of the construction and design.

I’m having restrain myself from dyeing more and more. I ought to push out some stock before I dye so much I need to start draping the house in it… It’s so much fun!