Indigo/Shibori in Isolation, with Cathy Moon

Samantha Tannous
Jun 18, 2020
1 min read

Read about Cathy's adventures with fabrics and papers, and find inspiration in her stunning images of works in progress

The beautiful weather in Brisbane during Covid-19 lockdown allowed me to set up a Natural Indigo vat and play with paper and fabric...can’t think of anything I would rather do!!...days of dyeing and watching Shibori patterns develop from tying up, dyeing in the Indigo vat, oxidising from green to blue and unwrapping to reveal a hidden patterned treasure!!! Pure Bliss!!

Cotton tape has been Shibori stitched and dyed in Indigo

Cotton gauze fabric, Itajime Shibori, Indigo dyed

Indigo/Shibori placemats drying on the line. Guntai Stitching.

Itajime Shibori/Indigo scarf drying in the shade

Paper is a delight to dye in Indigo. You can use any paper as long as it is strong enough to withstand being wet...it is a lot of fun to play around with a variety of papers.

The best techniques are Itajime (clamping) or arashi (pole wrapping). I use silk paper, cotton rag paper, mulberry paper and thick rice paper. You can also dye over paper that is coloured or has bits of bark or flowers scattered through it. There is really no end to what you can do. Here are a few samples of some of my recent pieces.