Last week I had the pleasure of doing something out of the ordinary: learning Shibori, Japanese indigo dyeing.  This shibori workshop was held by an awesome team of creatives at Beyond Canvas.  You know those painting and wine workshops that people do?  Well it's sort of like that, but even more awesome.  

For shibori, you use rubber bands, twine, poles, and wooden blocks to create interesting patterns on a white cloth.  It's a lot like tie-dye without that 70's look.  If you want to try this at home, I found a great Shibori tutorial here.

When the piece first comes out, it's a greenish color since the indigo needs to oxidize to become that beautiful blue color.

Once you let it oxidize, unwrap and just rinse in the sink (it's non-toxic, but can turn your hands into a smurfy-blue).  Hang to dry and enjoy your artwork.  It really is that simple, though it can be quite messy, so it's nice when the artists at Beyond Canvas do all the heavy lifting for you.

If you live in the Bay and are looking for something fun to do, I highly recommend checking out the various workshops at Beyond Canvas {they have some outdoor ones that look super fun too}.