Day 3 began with each team checking their vat and stirring. While the vats rested we finished exploring the last of the techniques for the clay resist.
Once the vats were ready and the paste was dry everyone began dyeing.
After lunch, I encouraged the participants to over-dye a few of their pieces in the indigo vats and the results were amazing!
We did a final wrap-up that included last-minute questions, maintaining an indigo vat, and how to finish the fabric ( rinsing X 3, washing, rinsing, a 15-minute soak in a vinegar bath to neutralize the fabric, and a final rinse).
The participants laid out their beautiful samples and then we had a group photo, lots of smiles and hugs, and the workshop was over!
The photos for these updates are courtesy of Jonathan  https://www.instagram.com/inquiriente/

Thank you for being a part of this inaugural event at Calpulli! I can't wait to see what Alfredo and his team do in the future

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After a delicious lunch, everyone got busy dyeing, printing stamping, and more.
They carved their potato stamps, admired their work and everyone was smiling!

Day 2 would turn out to be very busy! We did the first screenprint and once the paste was dry we would dye the fabric in the indigo vat, wash off the paste, let the fabric dry, and print a second design on top.
The following photos are of the first design.
After preparing the screens, we used leaves from the market to create a design.
Wherever the leaves are would become blue and where the paste went would stay white.

We started Day 2 by stirring the indigo vats and then had a brief ceremony asking the indigo gods for beautiful blues and a successful workshop.
I made a small altar with a handwoven mat, flowers from the market, and a small glass of Mezcal. The participants stood by their respective vats and joined in. Alfredo ended the ceremony.
We had to wait a bit for the vats to settle after stirring, so I took the time to review the various tools I had made that we would be using as aids in the dyeing process.
We had a quick coffee break and were ready to begin dyeing. The first thing we dyed were 6 samples. We dyed pieces from a 1-minute dip to a 6-minute dip to see the differences in the blues. Everyone was so excited!
And finally, it was time to dye the first pieces they painted with the resist from the day before.
We also started the silkscreen process and did a little daubing before it was time to break for lunch.

Both the indigo vats and clay paste resist needed to rest overnight.
The day before the start of the workshop I made a pot of the clay resist paste. So after a delicious lunch, we could begin becoming familiar with the paste.
The participants worked on prepared cotton fabric. Ana and Eduardo also tried painting some of the paste on paper Eduardo had made!
We had time to try several techniques, from free-hand painting to making precise stripes. We also started to carve gum erasers for stamping.
The studio space was wonderful  -  open, airy, and easy for all of us to move around!
We also set up a clothesline in a nice sunny spot.

As you know in January 2024, I taught a 3-day workshop at Calpulii (https://www.instagram.com/calpulli_eac?utm_source=ig_web_button_share_sheet&igsh=ZDNlZDc0MzIxNw==) in Santa Maria del Tule.

Calpulli is the dream of Alfredo Orozco (https://www.instagram.com/orozco_textil_experimental?utm_source=ig_web_button_share_sheet&igsh=ZDNlZDc0MzIxNw==). He wanted to create a collaborative space where people could come together to learn, share knowledge, play, experiment, and have fun.

Calpulli’s slogan – “El conocimiento que no se comparte, muere.” translates to “Knowledge that is not shared dies.”.

 

It was an honor to give the first workshop of the year in the new space! This beautiful open-air studio has lots of room and is very flexible in how it can be set up. It is also shared with Casa Cabrera Pizza y Pozos de Fuego. A place to have a delicious pizza and that will be teaching artisanal breadmaking using the wood-fired brick oven!

 

There are several artisans as part of Calpulli and the number will grow.

One member is Jonathan (https://www.instagram.com/inquiriente?igsh=YXJ6azB3c3FudWI=), a graphic designer, who is responsible for the wonderful photos and videos of my workshop.

At times he also jumped in as a translator and assistant when needed!

 

Another member is Alfredo’s wife Ana, (https://www.instagram.com/ollin_encuadernacion?igsh=cjU2b2lkdXgyd28w) who makes beautiful handbound books often using Alfredo’s fabrics for the covers.

 

Looking back, I cannot believe how much we accomplished in the 3 days.

Alfredo put together an exciting group of people for the workshop.

We had a papermaker, 3 clothing designers, and two women from Russia,

Victoria, a watercolor artist, and her granddaughter.

 

I hope you will enjoy the photos that I will be posting over the coming days.

 

This video says it all!
The workshop at Calpulli was an intensive 3 days.
The six participants did so much work!!

Morning in Oaxaca! Today I head out to Teotitlan. We will begin the first workshop this afternoon - can’t wait!!!

Just wanted to share the beautiful poster for my workshop in Teotitlan!! You might notice a fee, that is in pesos, not USD. $150 pesos equals less than $9.00 USD! The community center charges this small fee to help cover maintenance. The community center is run by volunteers and on donations. They do such amazing work for the community!!
The workshop registration opened this morning (Dec 22nd) and was filled by noon! I am looking forward to meeting the participants!!!

I depart for Oaxaca City on Jan 5th.

The first workshop will occur at Centro Cultural Comunitario Teotitlán del Valle from Jan 9th – Jan 11th. This indigo workshop will utilize local ingredients – indigo, tamarind, and Cal (lime). The participants will each make their vats, dye the wool yarns they use to weave tapetes (rugs), and learn how to maintain their vats. At the end of the workshop, the participants will take their vats home.

The second workshop will take place at Calpulli Espacio Artesanal Comunitario in Santa Maria del Tule from Jan 15th – 17th. In this workshop, the participants will learn about clay past resist used in indigo dyeing.

They will make indigo vats, make the paste, and use the following techniques – stenciling, stamping, hand painting, drawing with a pipette, screen printing, sponging, overdyeing, making their stamps from potatoes and gum erasers, and much more. We will use various tools to aid with the dyeing process and cover best practices.

Does what I do make a difference for the artisans?
Well here is one good example.
I introduced you to Odilón and his beautiful tapete (rug) in an earlier post.
Odilón took my workshop in Teotitlan in January 2022. We stayed in touch, at first because he had trouble adjusting his indigo vat. Over a few days of using IG messaging, we got his indigo vat back on track. Odilón was then able to troubleshoot for others in the village.
Now Odilón will be my translator/assistant for the January 2024 workshop in Teotitlan!
He is so excited by this opportunity. And thanks to your generosity, he will be compensated for his time.
That is Odilón in the Broncos T-shirt
Despite the face masks, you can see everyone's smile in their eyes! They were a tired but very happy group!

The campaign is entering week 7!

I am often asked - Why do you do it?
Why do you volunteer your time?

Why do you teach these workshops?

Why do you raise money?

Why do you travel to far-off places?

 

Well, I think this is the perfect answer:

This tapete (rug) was woven by Odilón Lorenzo Gonzalez. He took my indigo workshop in January 2022 in Teotitlan del Valle and dyed the blue yarns during the workshop. He recently removed this beautiful tapete from his loom and sent me the picture.

What do you think? It took my breath away!

 

Your donations do count. Every donation helps an artisan learn a new skill.

On behalf of the artisans I have the privilege to work with Thank You!
Linda

Oaxaca 2024 Update 10-29-23

Today I thought I would talk about what goes on behind the scenes in preparation for one of these trips.

For the workshop in Teotitlán, there is not too much to do this time, mainly gathering everything necessary for the workshop. I have taught this workshop with the Tamarind Vat twice before in Oaxaca and I use this same vat in my studio.

But before I could teach this workshop in January 2022, I needed to test my formula and work up clear instructions. So, I spent time in my studio working with the Tamarind Vat understanding the nuances of it, troubleshooting, and doing lots of dyeing.

Once the tests with the vat were complete, I needed to determine what I needed to carry with me and what I could pick up in Oaxaca! I was very fortunate to have the help of Elsa Sanchez Diaz of Taller Tenido a Mano and her husband, Eric Chavez.

 

The workshop at Calpulli is a different story.

First, I had to perfect the clay paste resist formula and only then could I start to sample the various techniques.

We will be working with a Ferrous (Iron) Indigo Vat, and I wanted to make a very strong vat. Again, I needed to test to see how much indigo I could add to achieve the results I wanted. It turns out I could triple the amount of indigo without changing the proportions of the ferrous and the hydrated lime.

With any workshop, I like to try to make all the mistakes in my studio, think of any questions I might be asked, and prepare for the unknown surprises.

Everything we will cover will be new for the artisans and I know they will have lots of questions for me!

We will be making stamps from gum erasers and potatoes, working with wooden stamps I made in my studio, painting with a variety of paint brushes, stenciling using traditional stencil brushes and soft daubers, using the daubers to create designs (like the polka dot bandana), learning to make a paper pipette and then drawing with it, screen printing with leaves (see the image) and torn paper, sponging to create a design and also to create a background texture for any of the above techniques. And doing lots and lots of dyeing.

All the tools and techniques needed to be tested and tested again. I really enjoy that time in my studio – I find it both fun and exciting!

 

Then comes the hard part – fitting everything I need to bring with me in my suitcase!!

 

Thank you for reading this long post and Thank You for supporting Oaxaca 2024!

It has been one month since the fundraising campaign for Oaxaca 2024 launched.
The campaign has raised $2,611.00 more than half the goal!!
There are a little over two months left to reach the goal of $ 5,000.00.
The artisans are getting very excited about the workshops as am I.
Your donations help me to help others -  and I Thank You!!!

Today begins week 3 of the fundraiser for Oaxaca 2024.
The goal - to raise $5000.00
12 people have donated $2,018.00 – Thank You!!
We are just $482.00 shy of the halfway mark of $2500.00.

What is Oaxaca 2024 about?
It is about helping others!
This young man, Jesus, participated in a workshop with me at Calpulli Espacio Artesanal Communitario in Santa María del Tule in March 2023. He comes from a village that specializes in embroidery. He had never dyed with indigo before.
He was so excited and dyed a whole garment during that workshop.
Yesterday I was sent the pictures below showing me what. he had just dyed. I was told that "Jesus está content!" ( Jesus is happy!).
Your donations help to make a difference in an artisan’s life. Through these free workshops, they learn new skills that can increase their income. Not only that but they share their newfound skills with others in their community.

Today I thought I would talk about one of the rewards I am offering - Maya Blue Ink.
The Aztecs and Mayans prized this ancient color. It was used to decorate codexes, paint bodies, color pottery, used in murals, represent water (especially rain), and was the color of sacrifice.
The Maya Blue Ink is made right here in my studio! The process of making the Maya Blue powder is quite magical. By mixing indigo powder with Sepiolite clay you get a grey powder. Add heat and it quickly changes from grey to blue to purple and finally Maya Blue.
To make the ink I mix the Maya Blue Powder with a Gum Arabic binder solution, then I add distilled water and you have ink of an exceptional color.

As the fundraiser for Oaxaca 2024 enters Day 5 I would like to tell you about the workshop I will be holding at Calpulli Espacio Artesanal Comunitario in January 2024.

 

Over the 3-days we will be working with a clay resist paste that can be hand painted, screen printed, stamped, stenciled, brushed, sponged, or piped on fabric or paper that will then be dyed in indigo.

The workshop will consist of 6 local artisans, and I cannot wait to see what they do!

Together we will make 3 very strong indigo vats. Next, each artisan will mix up a jar of the resist paste and while that is aging they will make their own stamps from wood, gum erasers, and potatoes.

 Over the following two days, we will be very busy being creative using the stamps we made, a variety of brushes, a paper pipette (think cake icing!), stencils, sponges, silkscreens, and more to create designs. 

What I find exciting about this technique is the possibilities to create a design are endless.

Here are test samples that I have made as I prep for the workshop.

 

 

Please be sure to share to share my campaign!

I am often asked how I started to make these trips volunteering my time teaching new or reviving lost skills to artisans in faraway places.
 
Well, it all started with me co-leading a trip to Mexico in 2008. For that trip, I held a raffle at The Yarn Tree (my business which was then located in Brooklyn, NY). We raised $2600.00 which was used to buy books, shoes, and school uniforms for the children of Calpulli de Los Niños in Txaxcalancingo, Mexico.
 
This led me to begin raising money, volunteering my time, and teaching free natural dye workshops to artisans around the world.  I have at times had my trips paid for or partially paid for by some of the organizations I have worked with. But the majority have only been possible through fundraising. Not only do I volunteer my time, I also supply all the necessary materials for the workshops.
 
The artisans’ reaction is often “But why does someone do this for us?” Once I explain, they are so filled with gratitude to think that people far away would care enough to send someone like me to teach them. I am so very grateful to my donors.
 
Not only do I raise money to cover the cost of the trips, but sometimes I have a side project – for instance in 2010 money was raised to provide a scholarship for Creativity & Experimentation as well as an interest-free micro-loan to artisans in Oaxaca. For the trip to Rwanda, I carried 70 pounds of donated new and gently used baby and toddler clothing, in turn, these clothes were distributed to several recipients including an orphanage in Kigali.
 
During my travels, I met some amazing people, shared great meals, and much laughter.
It is wonderful how textiles have a universal language.
 
I hope to continue this work for many years to come. May I count on your support for Oaxaca 2024?

Please take a moment to share my campaign on your Social Media!