Katazome workshop for Selvedge Magazine, 11th July 2020
Saturday 11 July 2020, 11am-5pm, £195 (price includes materials, lunch and refreshments)
Location: Minerva Workshop, Unit 2, Dove Centre, 109 Bartholomew Road, London, NW5 2BJ
Hosted by Sarah Desmarais
Sarah Desmarais is a textile designer maker and crafts researcher. She produces hand-printed textiles with the traditional materials of Japanese katazome or stencil dyeing - paper stencils and a rice paste resist that is washed out after dyeing to leave a white pattern on a coloured ground. Her designs derive from drawing and mark making in a variety of wild and weathered landscapes. Her work celebrates the value of slow making and its potential to contribute to a more sustainable culture of textile production and consumption. She is the recipient of a 2019 Queen Elizabeth Scholarship Trust award to take part in a research trip to Japan. She has recently undertaken artist residencies with Bow Arts and the Museum of Domestic Design and Architecture, and supervises doctoral research at the Royal College of Art. Website: sarahdesmarais.com. Instagram: sarahdesmaraistextiles
Outline of the workshop Japanese katazome (or stencil dyeing) is a centuries-old method of printing on cloth using paper stencils and a rice paste resist in combination with indigo. It was often used in the past to produce fabric for kimonos. In this workshop we’ll look briefly at the history of this art, and consider ways of designing successfully for the medium. Then participants will use traditional Japanese stencil paper (made with sheets of mulberry paper that have been laminated with fermented persimmon juice and then smoked to become waterproof) to hand cut stencils from their own designs. These will be used to print a repeat pattern onto samples of silk or cotton, using a traditional rice paste resist made from sweet rice flour and rice bran. When the resist is dry, the fabric will be dyed with indigo, and then washed out to reveal a white pattern on an indigo ground.
Participants will take home their stencils, fabric samples and a comprehensive resource list that will enable them to explore this beautiful textile print medium independently. The workshop is suitable for any level of
design or textile printing experience. Please wear old clothing and bring an apron.
To book please visit:
If you require additional information about this workshop please contact Catherine Harris, events@selvedge.org.
