Creating Beautiful Blues and Patterns: Indigo and Shibori with Jan Quarles

Description

Creating Beautiful Blues and Patterns: Indigo and Shibori with Jan Quarles

 Saturday, May 2, 9am-4pm at the UT Arboretum, 901 S. Illinois Avenue, Oak Ridge 37830

Join us to discover the amazing transformations of indigo, the enchanting natural blue dye that is centuries old!  You will learn and create among nature’s beauty in the University of Tennessee Arboretum in Oak Ridge on Saturday, May 2, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

In this unique and intimate setting, limited to 12 students, fiber artist Jan Quarles will be your guide for an exploration of indigo and basic shibori - Japanese patternmaking techniques. You’ll learn about the history of indigo dye and how it’s been used around the world. We will use two kinds of indigo vats, and you will learn how to make a small vat for home use. You’ll explore folding and clamping (itajime) and wrapping (arashi), traditional Japanese techniques, and learn other ways to make marks on natural fabrics. The full-day of instruction workshop fee of $185 +fee  includes all supplies for your take homes of a silk scarf, two tea towels, an organic bandana, and sampling fabrics, as well as gloves, notes, a list of resources and extensive practice using provided shibori tools. UT Arboretum Society members receive a 10% discount. Wear clothes you don’t mind getting dye on (indigo can be a messy process).  You may bring 2 small items of your own to dye as well, bandana, a t-shirt etc. 

The class will be held at the University of Tennessee Arboretum, 901 S. Illinois Avenue, Oak Ridge Tennessee. We will begin the day inside our auditorium for a history of indigo dying and then move outside to the covered Sharp Program Shelter for the dye portion of the class. The class is planned from 9am-4pm – please bring your own lunch, snacks, and drinks for the day. No refunds will be available unless the class minimum is met or we are able to fill your spot from a waitlist. 

Jan Quarles is a long-time fiber artist who works with the beauty of the natural world. She has worked for over 30 years with fiber and color as a dyer, knitter, spinner and weaver. For the past 10 years she has focused on indigo in its many forms and on botanical printing. She is a former journalist and professor of mass communication in the United States and abroad. She has studied from expert teaching artists at craft schools like Arrowmont, Shakerag, Penland, John C. Campbell and Aya Studio. She studied in Japan in 2023 and in North Carolina in 2024 with her shibori teacher.  Jan also collects textiles from around the world and will bring examples from her own indigo collection to share with the class.

For questions or registration issues contact UT Arboretum Education Coordinator, Michelle Campanis at mcampani@utk.edu or 865-483-7277.

Date & Time

Sat, May 2, 2026 9:00 AM - 4:00 PM

Venue Details

UT Arboretum -Sharp Program Shelter

UT Arboretum