Botanical print with indigo overdye silk scarf, 18”x58”, #5.

I am absolutely delighted with this new series of botanical printed and indigo over-dyed silk scarves. This is my strongest indigo vat ever and I’ve gotten some amazing deep and luscious blues!**

For each scarf, I start with a length of very lightweight silk habotai. With edges left raw, the scarves are layered with leaves and flowers and rusty bits, rolled up and secured with iron wire, then submerged in water to simmer for a couple of hours. After resting for a day, each scarf is bundled up for a shibori-style resist overdye with multiple dips in my homegrown indigo … a magical and incredibly rewarding process!

A new final flourish is my fine silver KVK sequin tag hand-stitched with Japanese silk to the corner of the scarf.

The botanicals provide more a wash of colors with random pristine prints and the rusty bits add a sumptuous graphic element … the colors and patterns are sublime!

Needless to say, each scarf is absolutely unique … very much one-of-a-kind.

**I photograph the scarves under bright lights to highlight the colors and patterns. Colors are more subtle in regular light.

You can watch the whole process in my Indigo Dye Series here.