As I rinse, unfold, and take in what is emerging in the cloth, I am reminded that each piece of fabric has its own voice. Though I may guide the process, I do not control it. -TGB
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I create unique designs combining modern and heritage techniques, inspired by the bringing together of multiple cultures and traditions from my family. I grew up watching my Japanese mother create art, fashion, food, and a home that blended her cultural traditions with my US-born father's Oklahoma roots.
From these influences, I have used shibori resist techniques and indigo dyeing (aizome) to create works of art that bring joy, beauty, and peace, whether they are hung on a wall, used to wrap a gift, or worn as a scarf or shirt.
The traditional Japanese art of shibori brings the synergy of fabric and hand stitching, shaped resist, and indigo dyeing together so that each item emerges from the dye with its own unique characteristics. Even if I have used a design or technique before, the specific stitches, folding, and hand-dipping in the dye results in a wholly unique piece of art that is meant to bring harmony and contentment to the soul.
Each piece of piece of fabric art is done by hand. I use a wide variety of traditional shibori stitching techniques, such as hira nui, maki-age, mokume, ori-nui, karamatsu, and maki-nui on linen and cotton fabrics to create wall hangings, furoshiki (traditional Japanese gift cloths), tenugui, and clothing. After stitching, the threads are pulled tight to resist the dye. When creating a piece using itajime technique, I carefully fold the cloth, then clamp or bind wood shapes over the folded cloth prior to dyeing.
Each piece is hand dipped and rinsed multiple times to develop the characteristic depth of the natural indigo blue color. To achieve darker colors, I will dip each wall hanging up to 8 times. The natural indigo dye baths are made from indigo plants grown and harvested in the United States. The dye bath is created using fructose, lime, and indigo paste.
To broaden the color palette of my designs I expanded to include the use of professional fiber reactive dye baths. Using these dyes, each piece is dipped 5 times.
As I rinse, unfold, pull threads, and take in what is emerging in the cloth, I am reminded that each piece has it own voice to be discovered. Though I may guide the process, I do not control it.
I develop natural dye baths using traditional and modern techniques (for example, fructose fermented indigo dye baths). I use professional fiber reactive dyes for modern applications such as shirts, scarves, bandanas, and kitchen towels. My hope is to offer wearable and everyday art that is used and enjoyed.
From these influences, I have used shibori resist techniques and indigo dyeing (aizome) to create works of art that bring joy, beauty, and peace, whether they are hung on a wall, used to wrap a gift, or worn as a scarf or shirt.
The traditional Japanese art of shibori brings the synergy of fabric and hand stitching, shaped resist, and indigo dyeing together so that each item emerges from the dye with its own unique characteristics. Even if I have used a design or technique before, the specific stitches, folding, and hand-dipping in the dye results in a wholly unique piece of art that is meant to bring harmony and contentment to the soul.
Each piece of piece of fabric art is done by hand. I use a wide variety of traditional shibori stitching techniques, such as hira nui, maki-age, mokume, ori-nui, karamatsu, and maki-nui on linen and cotton fabrics to create wall hangings, furoshiki (traditional Japanese gift cloths), tenugui, and clothing. After stitching, the threads are pulled tight to resist the dye. When creating a piece using itajime technique, I carefully fold the cloth, then clamp or bind wood shapes over the folded cloth prior to dyeing.
Each piece is hand dipped and rinsed multiple times to develop the characteristic depth of the natural indigo blue color. To achieve darker colors, I will dip each wall hanging up to 8 times. The natural indigo dye baths are made from indigo plants grown and harvested in the United States. The dye bath is created using fructose, lime, and indigo paste.
To broaden the color palette of my designs I expanded to include the use of professional fiber reactive dye baths. Using these dyes, each piece is dipped 5 times.
As I rinse, unfold, pull threads, and take in what is emerging in the cloth, I am reminded that each piece has it own voice to be discovered. Though I may guide the process, I do not control it.
I develop natural dye baths using traditional and modern techniques (for example, fructose fermented indigo dye baths). I use professional fiber reactive dyes for modern applications such as shirts, scarves, bandanas, and kitchen towels. My hope is to offer wearable and everyday art that is used and enjoyed.
Moonrise over the Rincon Mountains
Linen, Natural Indigo Dye, Itajime and Mokume Shibori
After designing the image and drawing on the linen cloth, I stitch individual lines to create the design of the mountains. Each line of stitching is secured with a small linen tab to keep it from pulling through the linen cloth when the thread is pulled tight. As each thread is pulled, the fabric tightly gathers up. When submerged in the indigo dye, the tight gathers resist dye and show as white elements of the mountains once completed.
This piece was dipped 6 times, rinsed, and hung dry. Once the piece is dry, each thread is carefully removed. The moon is created by clamping a wooden circles on both sides of the fabric to create a white moon. The corona around the moon is created by using two sizes of wood circles, larger for first few immersions, then smaller for the final immersions.
This piece was dipped 6 times, rinsed, and hung dry. Once the piece is dry, each thread is carefully removed. The moon is created by clamping a wooden circles on both sides of the fabric to create a white moon. The corona around the moon is created by using two sizes of wood circles, larger for first few immersions, then smaller for the final immersions.
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Full Moon
Using mokume stitching technique, I placed over 60 lines of stitching to create the pattern of the moon. Each stitch is pulled tight to resist the penetration of the dye. The piece is immersed in the dye bath and then rinsed to oxidize the indigo dye seven times to achieve the color. Once all the stitched is removed the Full Moon is revealed. 
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Tools in my studio for creating itajime shibori - wooden and acrylic shapes, clamps, ties, rubber bands, craft wood sticks.
Sonoran Desert inspiration outside studio tgb
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