Tag: hand dyed

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Atelier Mei Line at the tourist office in Vaison-la-Romaine

Window front at the tourist office in Vaison-la-Romaine

For aesthetes who are looking for originality, Atelier Mei Line is an exclusive brand that dresses the home and its inhabitants. The antique fabrics I use are part of the trousseaux that women used to embroider and finish before getting married. They have embedded stories: people made love in them, babies where born in them. Those precious fabrics are still found forgotten in attics, particularly in Provence, where I live and work, and where all the transformations takes place. The fabrics are patterned with ancestral techniques and dyed with plant based natural dyes. They are then produced into timeless, empowering and durable clothing and home wear. I am grateful to be able to present my work here, which represent an sample of this spring and summer’s production Français:…

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Mokume shibori

Antique hemp table runner indigo mukume shibori

I love this pattern, it’s irregular regularity and strong contrast. Every line is made by squeezing the fabric in small folds. Those folds are created by small stitches running perpendicular to the lines. A very long process, but once the rhythm is found, I love the meditative aspect. I trained in shibori creations with Kuno Hiroaki of Kuno Studio, thanks to Harumi at  Couleur Garance and  Tinctoria. Learning the best practice for both hadn’t movements and knot making has provided invaluable. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q_n_HMRa_-4 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bjKfhX_01FY

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Tegumo shibori

Tegumo shibori on grey cedar

Tegumo shibori is a type of tied resist developed in Arimatsu, Japan, where I had the chance of training with master Kuno-san from Kuno Studio (see blogpost in process here) During the Edo period, the busy Tokaido route saw the flourishing of trade. Arimatsu’s specialty was Yukata fabric, and the cotton was predominantly dyed in indigo, with various shibori patterns. Please check the “Sur la route du Tokaido” blogpost for Hiroshige’s etchings of the route, with beautiful illustration of many shibori patterns. A few pictures and a video of the tegumo shibori process of tying a series of cones, which once, untied after dyeing, reveal a rhythmical yet always different pattern. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2onyhyX2pbI

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Upcycling

Indigo shibori up cycled garnements

It all started as a whim, a wish to cover up a stain on an old favourite linen skirt… and it ended up being a great idea! Soon, one of my clients was asking me to upcycle her lovely white linen dress. Upcycling beloved items of clothing to cover up stains, or defects, or just to glamour them up, gives a new life to quality items of clothing made of natural fibres. I have a small stock of organic cotton t-shirts and linen scarves to create some of the shown products, but you are welcome to send me your item to upcycle. A selection previous orders, all pictures are linked to the relevant item

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More shiboris

A fun shooting on the stone stairs of our place in Vaison-la-Romaine, in the heart of the medieval town, where I open the showroom upon appointment. All photos are linked to their respective product or category By the pool at La Baye des Anges where I dye the linen fabric for the pool loungers and the table runners for the pool dining area Also at La Baye des Anges, a set of placemats that turned out to be an instant hit for our epicurean friends While in the garden, the day bed is pilled up high with the latest in antique hemp and linen cushions at the Atelier inauguration

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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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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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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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