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Back from Tokushima

In Septembre 2019, along with a group of fellow natural dyers conducted by Leaf organisation (now Tinctoria), we had the incredible chance to attend a 10 day class at Buaisou where along with putting together a Sukumo based indigo vat, we also practised several traditional Japanese techniques to create patterns. The result of this, was over the next year, a mountain of cushions and table runners in many different patterns of indigo shibori. All photos are linked to their respective product or category

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Aizumi-cho historical museum

Another perl in our awesome trip organised by @leafLuberon around the indigo course at Buaisou Set in the former house of a major indigo merchant, this museum traces the history of indigo production, and use: from seed to fabric. The exquisite miniature scenes are a moving testimony or the hardship  endured by people working in that trade. Indigo seedlings are protected from pest at night with straw panels They are pulled out and transplanted in between wheat rows, wheat protects the young seedlings from the strong sun Wheat is than harvested, leaving only the indigo to thrive Fertilisation  The indigo is harvested and the leaves are cut and separated from the stem The indigo leaves are dried and made into Sukumo, a leaf compost, which is than used…

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Buaisou: advanced indigo dying and reserve techniques course

Mei Line @ Buaisu, Part 1: advanced indigo dying and reserve techniques course

A 10 day training organised by @leafluberon in Tokushima, Japan, at the @Buaisou-i workshop. An eagerly anticipated trip which went way ahead of my expectations. Filled with people passionate about indigo, natural dying practices, sustainability, life and slow fashion; it was an experience I will treasure for the years to come! You can also find out more about this experience on the Mei Line instagram account @Mei.Line.Design  @Buaisou-i is an indigo dyeing workshop and slow fashion creator but also an indigo farmer: the concept is “From farm to closet”. On top of the indigo dying and reserve techniques, we learned about the traditional Japanese indigo vat making named Aidate. We also visited several local workshops all rooted in local traditions but with a very modern edge that seriously…

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Block printing

Block printing is a technique used to create patterns by stamping shapes cut out of wooden blocks. The blocks are previously impregnated either with concentrated mordant, or with mild acid that erases the mordant pre-existing on the fabric. This creates either a positive or negative contrast once exposed to the pigment. It is a bit tricky because the print only reveals itself much later in the process, after the dye has been applied. The wooden blocks I use for block printing come from a variety of sources and countries. I have actually owned many of them well before being initiated to the joys of natural dyes: as objects they speak of a craftsmanship that talks to my heart. A friend has brought a few of them back from…

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A workshop with Paul Jackson

Paul Jackson is a rockstar of the design world. Along with his wife he teaches origami techniques and their link to geometry from kindergarten to design students and has written several reference books on folding and pleated techniques. He presents himself as a paper artist, paper engineer, writer and teacher. We where very lucky to have him come and enlighten us about the technique as well as the math behind them, in a workshop at Couleur Garance, organised by the newly created LEAF Luberon Paul was so pleased with the association of Shibori and Origami, that he decided to give it a name: Shiborigami The concepts: The dying: Some maths…. Some folding Paul happy with the works at end of the week-end: Some of my creations over the…

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Arimatsu Shibori, from tradition to innovation

Was very lucky to attend a workshop with Kuno Hiroaki organised by Couleur Garance. His enthusiasm about traditional indigo shibori and the way he envisions it’s transposition into a XXIe century sustainable and modern production is very inspiring. We trained in Te-Kumo shibori, and realised the unbelievable amount of work needed to create the patterns by this tying method onto a large (or long) piece of fabric… Kuno brought with him some very ancient textiles, some of them created with forgotten shibori techniques that made then real treasures! Endless inspiration…

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