Community Indigo Dye Day

The Indigo Vat will be in the courtyard between the E and F Wings at Cubberley Community Center in Palo Alto, CA.

Each attendee is invited to dye one provided piece of cotton fabric. We aren't able to accommodate outside fabrics, garments, or yarns on this dye day, in order to ensure the longevity of the indigo vat for all attendees. There will be additional events covering stitching, resist pattern techniques, and a chance to dye your own items offered on other days (separate registration required).

Some rubber bands, clamps, and thread will be available to play around with shibori or tie-dye patterns independently, if you want to get fancy. No instruction on pattern or resist techniques will be provided at this dye event. If you have a particular vision, you're welcome to do your own research on how to acheive the extensive patterns possible through folding, scrunching, tying, and clamping (a quick google of "shibori techiques" will yield SO many resist strategies!). Or you can keep things simple and dip-dye with no resist at all. Depending on how much prep you choose to do, your process might be very quick, but we have quite a bit of time set aside to make sure everyone has the time they need. You're welcome to arrive anytime 11am-2pm and stay up to 3pm.

Dye can be messy, so it's suggested that you wear stain-friendly clothes. There will be a few pairs of gloves and aprons to share, but if you have your own, please bring them. There will also be some plastic grocery bags to take home freshly-dyed items, but if you're worried about leakage in transport, bring a water-proof bag or tub that meets your own personal standards. All ages welcome, but children must be accompanied by an adult.

Jaya will have prepared our Indigo vat in advance, but she'll be happy to share how she did so, for anyone who wants to make their own vat in the future. Space is limited, so sign ups are recommended. Contact Jaya directly at [email protected] with any questions.

Funding for this Event Provided by an ArtLift Grant through the City of Palo Alto's Public Art Program. Big thanks to their support and investment in our local creative community! Happy dyeing!

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Host or Publisher Jaya Griscom