Indigo cushion #1

D'accord, c'est parti - le premier des séries coussins - I've started ... here's the first Indigo cushion:
Made using recycled wool which I indigo dyed, embroidered on then used vintage french ticking fabric to finish for the button plaquette.

Indigo 'Dying' on a sunny day

Indigo Country

Just dyed my first of many fabric lengths for the Tex'Atelier shibori indigo cushion collection.


The indigo has come out extremely dark and the contrast between the blue and cream of the original cloth is fabulous.Just what I wanted.

It helps too that today has been gloriously sunny and warm, so even though it is 22nd January I have worked outside all day.

Indigo dyeing is best done in the sun as the dye goes from yellow to green to blue as it reacts with the oxygen in the atmosphere.

It all works much more quickly if the sun is strong. It's almost a magical process and very exciting to watch.

Happy new Year to all our friends and supporters.
2010 is going to be filled with lots of exciting new stuff at Tex'Atelier. Currently I'm working with felt and recycled wool, which is wonderfully easy to manipulate and handle. I'm also using the knowledge gleaned from my natural dyeing experiments last year, so you can expect to see shibori patterned and indigo,onion, madder or red lac dyed woolen cushions and throws in the Tex'Atelier  on line shop very soon. http://www.bijouterie.ateliersudouest.com So good to be using the techniques that I teach to others in my work, it closes the circle, allowing my practice to feed my teaching. 
Have fun making.
Nikola