Itajime and Indigo

I want to make some curtains, similar to traditional Japanese noren, to hang in the doorway between our kitchen and livingroom (I ended up using them for the doorway to the balcony instead).
Using a shibori technique called itajime, where the fabric is first folded and then clamped, I dipped the cloth in an indigo vat. The pattern is called kikko (tortoiseshell) and it makes a hexagon shape.

Itajime (board clamping)

After the indigo has oxidized, the clamp and boards are removed

I learned a lot from my mistakes with this project, for instance I waited a mere 24 hours before washing the fabric, so they faded a fair bit. (For optimal results, you should wait a week before washing) And I think the panels would match up better if I sewed them first and then did the clamping and dyeing. Also...and this is embarrassing...I cut the fabric the wrong way, so they don't drape properly. The bright side is that they allow lots of light to filter in while giving me optimum privacy from our neighbours!

Indigo Dyeing

Here are some images from an indigo dyeing session at home on the balcony. I opted for the synthetic indigo from Maiwa and I was really happy with the vat!
I wanted to try dyeing some natural cotton yarn and make some lace placemats (pattern by Carol Strickler from Best of Handwoven - Top Ten Placemats ) for my mom for her birthday.

 'Indigo white' vat

 

  

Couldn't resist dyeing a few shirts...

 Here are the completed placemats. I dyed the cotton in two shades of indigo blue; a lighter one for the warp and a deeper shade for the weft.

After finishing these I wanted to make another set for my mother-in-law. This time I thought I would try a natural coloured warp and a darker indigo for the weft.

 I like the appearance of these ones. I think the contrast of dark and light make them more  visually interesting; they look somewhat French Provencal to me.

Weaving

The following weavings were woven on a 4-harness table loom.

For my first weaving project using Ciba acid dyes I chose to dip-dye the warp (Cascade 220 ~ 100% Peruvian Highland wool yarn) in a bunch of vibrant colours inspired by a picture of flowers. I dyed the weft, a worsted-weight Malabrigo merino wool, a pale turquoise colour.

 

The pattern used is called 'Shaded Twill' from A Handweaver's Pattern Book  by Marguerite P. Davison.

This pattern is called 'Maltese Cross' from A Handweaver's Pattern Book and was woven with an 8/4 cotton warp. The weft is a combination of two Sublime dk weight yarns; the lighter purple is an extra-fine merino and the dark purple is cashmere, merino, silk blend.