Do you love the classic color combination of blue and white? Are you a fan of working with Indigo? Does your inner-hippie love to tie dye??? If you said YES to any one of these questions, this post is for you! This August at The Gathering, I will be welcoming nationally renowned Shibori expert and instructor, Debbie Maddy back to Primitive Gatherings!

If you’re not familiar with Shibori, it’s a Japanese tie dyeing method done by hand. It produces a number of different patterns on fabric by using wringing, pressing, and squeezing techniques. Depending on the individual, the desired result of Shibori will vary. You could create a larger pictographic or geometric design, or simply display the shibori on its own. You can even combine techniques to achieve increasingly more elaborate results.

To give you a little of her history, Debbie began her journey with Indigo as most people do – in a class learning to fold and clamp fabrics, and then dyeing them with Indigo. After taking many classes, she decided to learn how to stitch, wrap, and fold fabric in very unusual ways to get more intricate and unique designs. She has traveled to England, twice to Japan, and all over the United States taking classes and learning from Shibori masters in order to gain the skillset she has today.

Debbie has always loved fiber arts of all kinds! She has been quilting for over 35 years, pattern designing for 15, and teaching for 20+. She has been featured on TV as well as online, and is a fellow fabric designer for Moda (check out her latest fabric line, “Indigo Blooming” by clicking HERE!). Debbie says that her favorite thing about learning new things is sharing the knowledge she gains with other people. It’s pretty obvious that she loves what she does, because Debbie is an outstanding teacher! That’s why I was thrilled to hear she would be returning to The Gathering this summer. What a privilege – I can’t wait!

Last time Debbie was here I got the opportunity to explore some dyeing techniques that I’ve never tried before – and had a ton of fun doing it! One technique I tried involved scrunching fabric around a pipe to create a cool looking striped effect. I also got to play around with dyeing wool with Indigo, which produced some super pretty blues that we don’t normally see with wool. I even tried my hand at applying dye over stitching using Indigo, and ended up with some really neat star pattern results to show for it. Pretty neat!

If you’ve always wanted to learn Shibori, why not learn from one of the masters!? Debbie’s classes are fun and informative, and great for all ability levels! Not only does she teach you all about Indigo and Shibori, she also explains how she comes up with her fabric designs for Moda, and the techniques she uses to achieve them… So in other words if you see something you really like, all you have to do is ask and she will show you how to make it for yourself!

Ready to sign up? This year’s event will be held Wednesday, August 21st through Sunday, August 25th, 2024. There will be a mandatory pre-class meeting Wednesday night at The Gathering. Class will be Thursday through Saturday from 9:00 AM until 5:00 PM. Debbie will cover a brief explanation of Shibori, Itajime (board clamping), marble wrapping, and other fun techniques. Students will enjoy learning about Arashi Shibori, complete with demonstrations on folding and wrapping fabrics to create unique designs. You will also see demos on more advanced techniques for folding, wrapping, and stitching to resist dye. On top of all of that, Debbie will share her knowledge of more detailed stitching techniques, not typically covered in shorter-length classes.

The class fee for Debbie’s event is $585.00 per person for daily students, and $525.00 + lodging per person for lodging students. The fee includes dinner on Wednesday evening and daily lunches during class, a dyeing kit, and supplies for all students.

It’s been a couple of years since Debbie has been to Primitive Gatherings, so we’re really looking forward to having her here again. Our in-house wool dyer, Tyler is especially excited to welcome her back since after taking her class in 2022, he has not only added tie dying to his repertoire, but has also implemented his work into our Primitive Gatherings Hand Dyed Wool collection. His pieces are like eye candy – bright and beautiful, each one unique and one-of-a-kind. In fact, if you’ve never seen his work, you’re really missing out! I highly recommend you watch the replay of my LIVE show from last week where Tyler was our special guest. If you’d like to hear him explain what he does and check out some of his work, click the STITCH button below to watch!

If you’ve been thinking of coming to retreat but are still undecided, this really is a great class to get involved in! Not to mention, Debbie is just about as sweet as can be… She really is a joy to have around! I think half the battle of being a good teacher is having the right energy and attitude, and Debbie has both! Her positivity is contagious and she is always brimming with inspiration! Have I convinced you to get here yet? Space is limited so if you’re on the fence, don’t wait too much longer! I know you’re ready to sign up… Call The Gathering 920.778.8031 to register! You can also email thegathering@primitivegatherings.us.

I hope everyone has a wonderful and safe weekend! It looks like the weather should be nice for us tomorrow but maybe a bit sassy on Sunday, so we’ll see what I end up doing. Hopefully soaking up some sun at some point… And stitching too, of course! What will you be doing? Tell us in the comments and you might win one of Heidi’s famous prizes… Exactly like Angie S. and Vicki S just did! Thank you both for your comments. Your prize confirmation emails are on the way! See you all soon! ~Lisa