Bengala Dye...Ultimate Eco Color from the Earth

Dan and I are hooked!!

We took a workshop from Mr. Obuchi when we were in Japan.
Thank you to our friend Suyoko who introduced us to this environmental-safe eco dye.

We brought some dye home and started dyeing.
It's so easy!
No hot water necessary like other natural dyeing.
I usually do it in the kitchen sinks.

I wanted to learn more about it, so I communicated with Mr. Obuchi, my mentor by e-mails whenever I had some questions.
I wanted to introduce Bengala Dye which is from the soil to people here in Minnesota.

My friend Yukako in NY invited him to do some workshop.
Of course, I joined!!
I am going to have a Taiko (Japanese Drum) concert in a few weeks and I have many rehearsal days, but I managed to take just one rehearsal off and went to NYC!!

I was able to take 3 different Bengala Dye workshop as well as helping off-sites workshop at a school. Yes, kids can do it just like playing with mud!!
I also was able to ask many questions came up while I was there taking workshop and other things with him and Yukako as we are now US Distributors.
Anyway, I learned so much!
I came home yesterday and I already dyed a couple of skeins of yarn this morning. FUN!

Here are 3 items that I dyed at Loop of the Loom.

I met many people who were at the workshop and got inspired, too!
People at the workshop were amazed how easy and fun the Bengala Dye was!
I am getting ready to do a workshop at our studio tomorrow afternoon.
I can review myself doing workshop for sure!

It will be FUN!!

Thank you to our friend Sue-chan who connected us to Mr. Obuchi / Bengala Dye.
Thank you Yukako for having me at your studio. It was really special!!
Thank you Mr. Obuchi for the kind instructions.

Long time no see!

OMG! It has been so long last time I blogged.
Even the blog format has been changed.

Once (I don't even remember when), I had a phone call from someone telling me, "Do you still have a studio? Are you still doing SAORI Weaving? Your website is down."
Thank you so much!! Yes, it was down for a while.

Anyway, Dan and I are doing fine.
Dan was Up North in MN last school year (Sept. 2011-May. 2012).
I stayed in Chaska with my dog FUKU.

He is back and got a job in the city fortunately.

I have been enjoying SAORI and Taiko (Japanese Drum).
I think I started SAORI in September, 1996 in Japan and started Taiko here in MN in 2008.
So, it is my celebration month for both SAORI (16 years!!) and Taiko (4 years!!).
As of Sept. 1, I am now a full member of Mu Daiko performance group!
My dream came true!!
The first Mu Daiko concert I went to was in the fall of 2008, several weeks after I started taking classes.
All the performers/teachers became my STARS!!
"WOW! I wish I could be there on the stage with them."
Now, I practice/perform with them.
I still need to learn a lot, but it is FUN!

SAORI....WOW, it has been 16 years.
I did a lot both in Japan and here in MN.
Special month of September for me....something new has to happen?
Yes, I am in the progress.
Oh, this is NEW!
Bengala Dye...Fun and Easy, but it has a deep story...
Dan and I took a workshop while we were in Japan last summer. Yes, we were fortunate to go back to Japan to visit with my family last summer.
It was nice to see my family as well as all my friends in Japan!
Now, Dan and I are happy to introduce this new dye in the U.S.
The very first workshop will be in October! Let me know if you are interested in taking a workshop with us!

I was in Wisconsin for Sheep and Wool Festival.
I usually teach 2 classes there, BUT ooooooops, I forgot to propose classes this year.
So, I sat in the booth for 3 days.
I learned a big lesson, SO I will NEVER forget to propose classes from now on.


Dan will be in North County Fiber Fair this weekend in SD.

I will be home helping my business and will be weaving when I have time.

Here are just a little bit of pictures from recently....I will try to post a little at a time. Yes, that means I will blog more often! PROMISE!!

Bengala Dye

Needle Felted creatures

Summer Camp 2012 and...
A boy tried sewing with a sewing machine for the first time!

See you soon!

From Chiaki and Fuku (with my Felturtle)

SAORI Magic!

It has been such a long time since last time I blogged.

I feel like I can finally spend time at home this weekend. YEY!

I play Japanese Drum, Taiko and belong to Mu Daiko.

We had our 15th year anniversary concert in St. Paul last month for a weekend.

Then, the next weekend, we shared a stage with special guest artists "Hanayui" and Mr. Fujimoto, a Taiko soloist from a group Kodo, Japan.

We also had Tiffany who is a great Taiko performer and instructor from Sacramento.

I took her Odaiko (Big Drum) intensive last two years in January.

After the concert, we toured in Minnesota.

I was fortunate to go with them as an assistant.

I performed two places for school performances.

I now know Fergus Falls, Grand Marais and Grand Rapids in Minnesota.

I learned a lot about touring and of course, we had a great time!

We came back from the tour on March 4 and I had to switch to SAORI mode next day.

This week and next week, I have been introducing SAORI at an elementary school.

Thank you to the school and VSA Minnesota to make this happen.

I went to this school about 3 years ago to introduce SAORI. The art teacher there invited me.

She and I took intro Taiko class together. That's how we got to know each other. Isn't it interesting?

Anyway, she waited for 3 years to get some fund from VSA.

I finished the first week of residency.

I had some students with difficulties, BUT I didn't know until at the end of the day.

The teacher has been telling me all the stories about children with problems/difficulties.

Though I couldn't tell them at all!

The teacher/a paraprofessional teacher were amazed how their behaviors change when they were weaving. They were focusing, enjoying and showing any behavioral problems.

The teachers said, "It's a MAGIC!"

I had a girl yesterday who didn't show me any good responses.

Whatever I said to her, she said, "I don't know."

Today, the teacher told me about how excited she was to do SAORI weaving.

She jumped off from a school bus and told her mother all about SAORI!!!

She came back today. She wasn't showing her excitement, but I am sure she was excited inside.

I heard that her mom is excited about SAORI, too.

Thank you for as siting me for 3 afternoons, Michelle and thank you for helping me Monica today.

I hope you enjoyed being there. Well, I am sure you did!

Let's enjoy SAORI with children next week, too!

I am looking forward to it already!

Wisconsin Sheep and Wool Festival

Last weekend was my second WI Sheep and Wool Festival to be a part of.

I taught two classes and had a vendor space.

It is a big show compared to the ones I know of.

The weather was gorgeous all 3 days that was very nice.

Thank you for Kimie who came to help me watching the booth while I was teaching all day Friday.

Many things happened. I want to write them all, but I would like to share a couple of things I was really happy about except for Kimie coming with me.

Last Friday while I was teaching a lady stopped by at our booth.

Kimie talked to her. She had a couple of pieces using her own loom and wove with SAORI way.

This lady took my SAORI class I offered last year at the festival.

I missed her!!

BUT, there she was at the same hotel we were staying. She was showing her pieces to other people in the lobby.

Yes, I remember her!!

Yes, she had a couple of SAORI pieces that were so beautiful and I was able to tell she had so much fun creating them.

I was so happy to see the pieces and her telling me about how she enjoyed the class last year and now she is planning to sign up next year's SAORI class at the festival.

I hope to see her again!

One lady who took the morning class last Friday's comment moved me. I even wanted to keep the evaluation of hers with me...

She wrote something like she has taken many classes at the festival but SAORI class is the best !!

There was also a lady who took a class last year told me that SAORI method releases her when she paints.

I am so happy to introduce to SAORI to people.

Everyone enjoys.

Everyone finishes weaving so happy.

I am so happy I am doing SAORI that also makes me happy in many ways.

I will see you next year at WI Sheep and Wool!!

Happy Weaving!!

Being here...

One of the member is a rigid heddle instructor.

She also is a school teacher, so it is hard for her to come to the studio to weave with us regularlly.

Though because it's summer, she comes to the studio every week with her "Fiber hooked" daughter.

They share a SAORI loom.

They weave, spin, kinit.... and are FUN!

Yesterday, she made a warp for warp exchange we are going to do at the end of this month.

She seemed satisfied finishing the warp.

She took out her drop spindle and started spinning.

I asked her if she would like to weave because there are empty looms.

She told me "No, thank you. Being in this room is learning and makes me happy."

I couldn't say anything.

She is right.

She made me happy again.....

SAORI Summer Camp 2011

I had a couple of girls this week for SAORI Weaving Summer Camp.

One of them ("A") came back for her second Summer Camp this summer.

She came last month for the first time with her friend and came back this week with her new friend.

It was fun to observe them.

"A" is 7 years old and the other is 12 years old.

"A" was telling her friend, "It is fun, isn't it? You can do whatever you want!".

Yes, that's is right!

"A" had a very different attitude than when she came last time with her friend who was the same age with her.

"A" was asking her older friend her color choices a lot.

In the other hand, this older friend was inspired by "A"s mix color technique(?).

Maybe "A" thinks her older friend is her sister?

I had a good time with them and they did a superb job!!

Hope to see them again.

SAORI class @Weavers Guild of Minnesota

I don't even remember how many years it has been since Dan and I taught a SAORI class at the Weavers Guild of Minnesota last time.

We were just the guest instructors at that time, but now I am a "Weavers Guild instructor".

Since it has been such a long time since the last class and SAORI is still new to this country, so the class was a series of "Try-It" class.

Though, there were a couple of people who came to the studio last year and a lady who is an active member? of the guild so I remember....

Anyway, it was a comfortable and fun class.

They were exchange ideas as they weave and I wasn't the one helping when they had problems.

Elizabeth who is a rigid heddle instructor/weaver and SAORI weaver assisted me a whole class and she knows a lot about other styles of weaving, so I learned a lot about them from her.

Thank you, Elizabeth!!

The above are some of the pieces they created yesterday for 4-5 hours.

I enjoyed the SAORI community yesterday. Thank you!