Get Creative with Shibori Artist Debbie Maddy
Posted by Debbie Maddy on Jan 5th 2023
Hello! I am Debbie Maddy of Tiori Designs, an avid Shibori artist and Indigo dyer.
I started this amazing journey in a small one-day class at a local quilt shop many years ago. The resulting Indigo blue and white fabric was enough to excite and inspire me for life! I launched a tremendous search for knowledge of the art and began taking classes from well-known Shibori artists. My first intensive class was a two-week long class at Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts in the beautiful Smoky Mountains of Tennessee. I learned wonderful Shibori techniques and was able to dye and have my hands in the Indigo almost every day.
After the class, I collected and poured over books about Shibori and Indigo, soaking in all the knowledge I possibly could.And, always wanting more, I continued to practice and seek more ways to increase my Shibori skills!
Hard work and dedication to the art of Shibori contributed to my enjoyment and success with my projects! Eventually, I approached Moda Fabrics about designing for them and they loved the idea. This was my first line and I am still designing Shibori fabrics for them. The designs are sent to Japan to be printed, then sold in local quilt shops and online. Moda is wonderful to work with and it is truly a privilege to be one of their designers.
Continuing to study, I have travelled around the United States taking classes from well-respected artists such as Elin Noble, Sara Goodman, Amy Putansu and Catherine Ellis. I have also flown to Japan twice to study at Japanese Textile Workshops with Bryan Whitehead and to England to spend a week dyeing with Jane Callendar. All of these wonderful, sharing artists have helped me grow and learn more about Shibori and Indigo in many different ways. I am so grateful for their generosity!
Shibori and Indigo have become my constant passion and obsession. I read, I practice and I love to see the magic that happens when I say "What if I do this with the fabric?" The possibilities are endless!
My second passion is sharing what I learn. I love to teach classes for novice Indigo students as well as very experienced Shibori artists! Traveling to teach and share is my favorite thing to do, but I realize not everyone can attend a multi-day class in a faraway place. That is why I am so thrilled to be creating online classes with Creative Spark/C&T Publishing. I have two classes for you to enjoy so far!
My first class is Organic Indigo Vats. It is very basic and a great way to begin this wonderful art. You have to have an indigo vat to dye with Indigo, of course, and this class will give you all the knowledge you need to get your hands in Indigo! I prefer to work with all natural ingredients that do not harm me or the environment and that is what you will learn in my class. This is a beautiful fructose vat all ready to dye!
My second class is Stitch Resist for Shibori. Very new, it is the perfect next step for your Shibori Indigo dyeing journey. It is again, a basic class suitable for any level of dyer, but you’ll learn about the amazing designs that can be created with simple stitch resists and beautiful blue Indigo. There are nine chapters with lots and lots of techniques to help you explore the possibilities of Shibori dyeing. Below you can see the samples I made for the class. You’ll learn to make all of these and more!
These are “forever” classes that you can watch as many times as you want with no limit! Repeat the chapters you want to re-watch, stop the class, try a technique, then go back to where you stopped. You can watch from home or anywhere you have internet access and you can also ask questions. It’s like having me right by your side while you’re dyeing!
Register soon and get started whenever you like. I’m looking forward to virtually exploring the magic of Shibori Indigo dyeing with you and I know you’re going to enjoy my obsession as much as I do!
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