Woolfest is coming

Woolfest? What is that?

Glad you asked. Woolfest is an annual fiber and textile show and workshops held at Lake Farm Park in Kirtland, Ohio.  Live demonstrations, exciting events, the beauty of the farm park, and workshops.

Last year I taught Shibori techniques in a full day of class.  It was delightful and such fun.  This year i will be teaching Arishi Shibori, or the art of binding silk to a pvc pipe, and applying the dye.  The result if it is done well, is stripes that look like ripples in the water.

It all begins with fabric, and a pipe.  Winding the fabric around the pipe first, then wrapping binding string around to hold the fabric down:

The tough part is moving the fabric as tightly to one end of the pole as possible:

Then applying the dye. This can be done with brushes dipped in dye, or squeeze bottles of dye.  There is a third method, involving immersing the entire pipe in vats of dye.  I choose to hand apply the dye for control.

Allow to dry.  The fabric may be steamed on the pole, resulting in deep pleating that has been steamed in.  Or the fabric when dry may be removed from the pipe, and wrapped in newspaper, then steamed.  The second method will result in smooth fabric, showing the vibrant veining and striping of the arishi effect.   here are some examples (the first two pressed flat, the last two left pleated for effect:

So to get to my class, it will be offered on Saturday, June 22 from 9a to 4p, and the end product will be a 4 ft by 4 ft scarf.  I will post the link for the class when it becomes available online.