Buaisou: 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 takes on today’s world, all very inspiring! Those will be the subject of subsequent posts, so do watch this space…

The pictures below are mine except when credited below the picture.

Welcome to indigo land…

Indigo master Kakuo Kaji, Buaisou’s Founder

Photocredit: @masao_milkfilm

Our instructors, aka the dream team: Kakuo, Ken, Yuya, Tadashi and Kazuma

The lucky pupils… the usual messy French crowd, that neatly contrasts with the picture above … Messy, but efficient, as the amount of work done over the following 10 days will show 😉

Photo credit: @Buaisou-i

The art of dying in indigo vats:

The art of dying is also the art of rinsing, over and over again:

Katazome, negative pattern with rice paste reserving:

Photo credit: @_buburchacha_

Marianne, @marianne.aubry, one of the @leafluberon trio and instructor at Couleur Garance prepares a stencil with @leafluberon theme:

Photo credit:@Buaisou-i

La Baye des Anges, in katazome

Roketsuzome / Batik: reserve with wax applied in brush strokes:

Photo credit: @Buaisou-i

Photo credit: @Buaisou-i

Photo credit: @Buaisou-i

Creating pattern with screen print and discharge paste:

Karamatsu shibori:

The magic moment when the threads come out after dying and the pattern is revealed:

Photo credit: @Buaisou-i

Itajime shibori:

Colour chart creation:

It seems like a very straight forward thing to do, and it is. But it’s also a very precise and time consuming piece to create, the kind of thing that one never finds the time to do, so it is a real treat to have.

Kakuo patiently explains how it is done, while Harumi, @harumi_textile (one of the @leafluberon trio), patiently translates.

At the end of the day:

Photo credit: @Buaisou-i

Personal projects:

On the last day, everyone is frantically finishing their lasts personal projects with our newly created indigo vat, which in the words on Kakuo, our instructor, “is strong by virtue of all the passion we all put in its creation” :))))

Marianne, @marianne.aubry, one of the @leafluberon trio and instructor at Couleur Garance dyes one her trademark felt creations:

Photocredit: @masao_milkfilm

Lise, @lise_camoin , also one of the @leafluberon trio and instructor at Couleur Garance:

Photocredit: @masao_milkfilm

Harumi, @harumi_textile (one of the @leafluberon trio), is dying her trademark minutely pleated fabric, a shiborigami technique (see Paul Jackson’s workshop training in Mei Line’s blog)

Photocredit: @harumi_textile

Photocredit: @harumi_textile

Working on my Arashi shibori project

Photocredit: @masao_milkfilm

Calandrage:

On the last day, Kakuo also demonstrates the technique of “calandrage” or waterproofing cotton fabric by repetitive hammering of the fabric:

Photo credit: @Buaisou-i

One last nostalgic look at the @ Buaisou indigo field on the last evening of our course

When the @Buaisou-i  team surprises us with a proper diploma giving ceremony, on the last evening, it is very dificult to hold the tears back..

Photo credit: @Buaisou-i

Thank you Kyoko-san, the brains behind the amazing communication of @Buaisou-i, and the eye being many of the pictures above.

Thank you master Kakuo Kaji-san and the @Buaisou-i  team for sharing all this knowledge, and passion.

Thank you @leafluberon (Harumi-san, @harumi_textile , Lise-san @lise_camoin , Marianne-san, @marianne.aubry), for making this happen.

Thank you Maso Suzuki-san, @masosuzuki   (kneeling in black tshirt) for the translation and the infinite patience!

Thank you Yuki Taniwaki-san, @_buburchacha_, for your photographs and your lovely presence

Thank you Masao Takahashi-san, @masao_milkfilm , we were very honoured to have you for a day

Thank you to all the travelling team for the good vibes ;)… missing you all!

Photo credit: @Buaisou-i

Back home, with many treasures…