Blue

Recently I came across a box full of indigo dyed fabrics and threads and it reminded me of a wonderful day, a few years ago now, when I was doing City & Guilds and our tutor held a workshop at her cottage in the countryside. We made a huge vat of Indigo dye, tied up fabric in all sorts of ways (anyone who has done tie-dying will know what that means) and then threw them into the dye. Once the dye had worked the pieces were removed, rinsed and hung out on a line. The initially green fabrics gradually turn blue in the air. I can still remember watching the line of fabric blowing in the wind and changing colour - magical. I think some of us had another go later as I seem to have so much fabric. I made a sample book so I have a good idea what we did. 

I have decided to go ahead with the booklet suggestion for 52 Stitches and here is the book I made on top of some of the indigo. It is tiny (7cm x 7cm) but I realised that that is all that is needed for a stitch sample. And there is the first page done - Chain Stitch. I thought I would use bits of the indigo fabric as the backing for each stitch and limit myself to blue threads. I am pleased with the start.