I had the great pleasure of teaching a 3 Day Ajrak (Natural Dyeing & Printing) workshop at the Wereldmuseum Rotterdam, organised by the Crafts Council Nederland

Over the course of three days, we learned about the science behind Ajrak—a historic, naturally dyed, and printed textile from the Indus Valley (Sindh, Pakistan). This textile has been historically made using a clay resist and naturally occurring mordants in the soil.

We made mordant pastes, clay pastes, and mordant-dye pastes, and applied them to khadi textile on the first day of the class. The next day, we learned about curing and neutralizing. We also discussed dye groups and made dye baths.

On the third day, we learned about Indigo, its history in the region, and its connection with the textile art of Ajrak.

Here are some photos from the workshop:

Clay & Mordant Pastes

Madder, Cutch & Onion Dye Bath

Dyed swatch study

Indigo Dyeing