A one of a kind experience of botanically dyeing the most exquisite fibre in the world, pashmina! This workshop is the right place for you to kick start your journey into this world of wild colours. Together, we will explore the fundamentals of natural dyeing & soak in techniques to extract the yellows, orange, brown, reds from around us. The workshop will provide you with insights on plant derived dyes under expert guidance.
The workshop will be carried in the loving ambience of a local home by the banks of river Indus among the poplar trees. You will deal directly with nature be it using the dye materials straight from the garden, to washing the yarns in the running stream, to drying it amidst the lush green field. The host’s home is situated in the heart of Thiksey village below the famous picturesque Thiksey monastery, 17kms from Leh. You can also take a walk by the stream and explore the barley fields and if you are lucky enough you might catch some village field activities.
Details
- The host uses plants from their garden or from the communities they work with. They ensure responsible harvesting and their approach to natural dyeing is based on the traditions they study and practices they have adopted over the years. They seek plant sourced dyes and avoid synthetic additives or mordants, using marigold & Himalayan Rhubarbs (for yellows), walnut (for browns), Indigo (for blues), Madder (for Reds), Arnebia (for Greys and pinks) and other colours.
-
- In this workshop, you will be dyeing with Walnut, Marigold flowers and Madder. These dyes will give you shades of brown, yellow and red.
-
- Itinerary-
- 9:30 pm – 10: 45 pm: Introduction to the art of natural dyeing with plants and its process.
- 1:45 pm – 11: 30 pm: SCOURING: Pre-washing of skeins is important to get rid of unwanted debris and grease that might come along with the fibre.
- MORDANTING: The part of the joy lies in making happy mistakes and in the surprises that come along when creating your own dye by combining plant materials and mordants. A mordant is a substance used to permanently bond dyes on fabrics or create a chemical reaction to create new colours. Meanwhile prepare the dye bath while the skeins sit in the mordant solution.
- 11:30 pm - 12:30 pm: DYEING
- 12:30 pm – 2:00 pm: LAP LOOM TAPESTRY WEAVING
- Tapestry is a unique work of art that is made in a particular woven textile technique. It develops hand- eye coordination and increases concentration with complete adsorption in the activity. The activity of tapestry weaving acts as a form of therapy and gives visually beautiful results at the end. You can use your own dyed yarn, your own spun yarn or raw wool of different colours to create your own patterns on the tapestry loom and take home the fabric you weaved.
- 2:00 pm - 2:15 pm: Feedback session with tea
-
- Material provided:
- Tapestry loom
- Spindle and a cup
- Carded sheep wool
- Pashmina yarn - valued at INR 1200
- Sheep wool yarn
- A notebook & a pen
- Apron
- Gloves
Good to know
- Min. 3, Max. 10.
- Mandatory 4 days prior booking time.
- Transportation is not included in the price.
- 14+ can attend at full price.
- Local Tea and plenty of snacks will be provided throughout the afternoon.
- You can bring your own white cotton fabric like cotton socks/Handkerchief/an old white T-Shirt to be dipped in the dye bath along with your pashmina. This piece would hold memories of your dyeing experience with us.
What's included
- Materials & guided workshop
- Tea & Snacks
- The piece you have created on the Tapestry loom using the material you have spun and dyed in the workshop.
- Your own dyed personal fabric that you have carried with you (if any) to the workshop.
What's not
What it's worth
- Group of 3-5 people: Rs. 8,800/person
- Group of 6-8 people: Rs. 7,920/person
- Group of 9-10 people: Rs. 6,820/person
Where it is
Address : Thiksey, Thiksay, Ladakh