Creating with Shibori - Annabel Wilson -

Creating with Shibori – Annabel Wilson

Annabel Wilson arrived for our November meeting with a wonderful selection of shibori work to share with us. Nowadays the majority of speakers prepare presentations to talk about their story and their work but there is nothing like the old fashioned “hands on” to see and feel samples and finished pieces.

As a child Annabel loved experimenting with craft and after school she went to Art College to learn about interior design. She became an administrator and in time realised she was not being very creative so decided to try various options until she found a book on shibori. This technique, originating in China in the 4^th century and introduced into Japan in the 8^th century, changed Annabel’s life and she has now been doing for the last 18 years.

We were shown the basic equipment which was a plain dense woven fabric, reels of nylon or Gutmann polyester thread, a water soluble marker pen, beads and tags to stop the thread going through the fabric and dye. Annabel mainly uses cotton but she also talked about using wool and showed us a beautiful cushion she had made. She was asked about using silk but this was challenging due to its slippery surface. Having seen numerous items on display with beautiful shibori designs Annabel then passed round samples of the stitching and binding which had to be done to achieve them. The hall became alive with chatter as members discussed the great variety of options. The fabric can be folded in two and from here various running stitch designs can be sewn into the fabric. A line of stitches near the fold, a line of stitches away from the fold, half a fish shape, a line and then half a circle to form a pattern, a mixture of several ideas, the options are endless. Alternatively a single layer of fabric can be used to stitch a design, a bead can be inserted and covered with plastic to keep out the dye to look like a moon or a mixture of stitches can be used. We were shown the multi stitch options on a shell design and a sea urchin.

Once the stitching is in place the thread is then pulled tightly and secured ready for the dyeing. Annabel has used natural dyes with a mordant but usually uses RIT dye which is available on Amazon because this enables her to dye a small quantity of fabric at any one time. Her work has been made into curtains, cushions and garments and now she enjoys adding stitch to her designs.

Annabel talked about her inspiration and showed us a beautiful floral book, her sketchbook and also mentioned Pinterest which she uses for ideas. She has published her own book on Shibori and this was on sale together with her beautiful lamps. I treated myself to one with a large teasle design and am currently enjoying it on the hearthside as I type this blog post.