kitty: I can dream

Ahh.... if there was only more time in the world to study all the things I really love and want to learn. I would seriously consider signing up for a tour I just found out about that is being put together by SFS Tours with Yoshiko Iwamoto Wada (Her flickr account)

Information taken directly from The World Shibori Network Website

"2010 MAY : ARIMATSU NAGOYA, JAPAN Arimatsu, Nagoya, Kyoto, Miyama, Kiryu, Tokyo May (21) 22 – June 7, 2010 Proposed Itinerary & price - Sign-up Details: Arimatsu for 7 days; Kiryu for 2 day; Tokyo 4 days; Kyoto 2 days; picturesque rural village with a natural indigo dyer. The first weekend in June is the annual Shibori Fest along the old Tokaido, located in the traditional shibori center of Arimatsu. The Shibori Fest, the area’s most important festival of the year, draws people from all over the country who travel just to attend this lively celebration. The town and its leaders are delighted to invite the SFS group into their community during this bustling, exciting time of year. SFS is encouraged to get involved with & up close to the local traditions, celebrations, and preparations: sit in on music rehearsals, help decorate floats, observe food preparations, etc. Among the tour highlights: a shibori workshop designed for SFS members to learn from and exchange creatively with local master artisans; an opportunity to exhibit your experimental creative works at the Shibori Fest; learning from an acclaimed master dyer of natural indigo; absorbing the natural beauty of a unique, thatched-roof village (a designated National Treasure preservation area); experiencing traditional ryokan (inn) and Japanese onsen (baths). WSN web members given priority registration and discount. Limited capacity. Interested? Email: yoshiko [at] yoshikowada.com, subject “SFS Tour: ARIMATSU” "

I can only dream... sounds amazing.... At least I can pass it on to spread the awareness if you are able to go...

kitty: Arimatsu-Narumi Shibori: Celebrating 400 Years of Japanese Artisan Design DVD

	To me there are few things as magical as Shibori. Tieing amazingly small knots all over yards and yards of white fabric that are then thrown into a pool of indigo dye. A project that could involve an entire community working on a different aspect of a project. The time and the art. Over the years I have certainly tried several of the different techniques. Frankly anyone who has tie-dyed has, but I always have the fear of throwing it in the dye. What if my knots were not tight enough, what if I screwed up and the dots didn't fade. Though this summer I am going to give it another go when the weather improves. MG want to come over and play? There are so many aspects of Japanese textiles and crafts that fascinate me. I don't know how many times I have watched this DVD since it first came out. It takes you through a brief history of Shibori and then an overview of the different types of both hand and machine knot tieing. Watching the artisans are truly inspirational in this DVD.
Arimatsu-Narumi Shibori: Celebrating 400 Years of Japanese Artisan Design (Japanese / English Language Version) Starring: Hiroshi Murase, Yoshiko Iwamoto Wada Director: Andrew Galli Format: DVD Language: English / Japanese