Indigo Dyed Blocks!

Our own Ma Beth walks us through our favorite new DIY. Follow along below to read her newest, coolest project for some blue-jean-baby-blocks!

Nothing gets me more excited than a "happy accident." I recently had the privilege of hosting an amazing shibori workshop in my quaint city of Sacramento. Shibori is the ancient technique of resist dying using indigo and natural fabrics. We bound our fabrics using wooden blocks (purchased at my local Michaels), rubber bands and clamps. Then, we dipped the bound fabrics into vats of indigo dye and soaked them for an hour. We removed them from the vats to oxidize, which reveals the rich, deep indigo hue that is signature shibori. The fabrics turned out amazing, but something else equally amazing was unearthed .... the bound wooden blocks took on the dye just as beautifully as the fabric! I instantly thought what a gorgeous building block toy these would make. 

1. Gather your materials: wooden blocks (all shapes and sizes), rubber bands, clamps, fabric, rubber gloves.

2. Fold your fabrics in the traditional shibori techniques, found here (insert link to shibori folds), then bind your wooden blocks and fabrics to create the resist for your pattern.

3. Soak in your vat of indigo (insert indigo dye kit link here) -- the longer you soak, the more the color saturates into your fabric and blocks.

4. Remove from Indigo, and let the fabric and blocks oxidize. Unbind your fabric and block to reveal your newly dyed creation!