Aizome Studio | Japanese Indigo and Shibori
Aizome Studio is the personal practice of Suzanne Connors, dedicated to the study of and teaching of Japanese indigo dyeing and shibori.
Rooted in traditional methods, these workshops emphasize process, repetition, and the disciplined handling of cloth. Students work with authentic tools and materials, exploring techniques such as stitched shibori, resist dyeing, katazome, and pattern development through indigo.
Rather than surface-level experimentation. Aizome Studio offers a focused environment where skill is built through practice, observation, and direct engagement with time-honored textile traditions
Here, indigo is not an effect—it is a practice.
Techniques Studied
Aizome Studio exists as a space for deeper study.
Workshops are grounded in traditional methods and taught within a working studio environment—where vats are active, tools are used as intended, and attention is given to the nuances that cannot be learned through demonstration alone.
Shibori (stitched, bound, and shaped resist)
Indigo Dyeing (including natural fermentation vats)
Katazome (rice paster resist and stencil work)
Cloth handling, preparation, and finishing
This is not a surface introduction. It is a return to process.
Lineage & Influence
The approach at Aizome Studio is informed by ongoing study and relationships with textile artisans in Japan.
While techniques are shared in a contemporary studio setting, their origins are acknowledged and respected—both in method and in spirit.
The intention is not replication, but understanding.
Aizome Workshops
Aizome Studio workshops are offered throughout the season as focused intensives and short-format studies.
These include:
Shibori mastery sessions
Indigo immersion workshops
Katazome resist intensives
One-day and multi-day study formats
Each workshop builds on foundational principles while allowing space for individual exploration.
Cloth Holds Memory
Indigo reveals itself slowly—through immersion, oxidation, and time.
Each mark, fold, and stitch is part of a larger conversation between hand, material, and process.
For those willing to stay with it, the work offers more than pattern.
It offers understanding.
WHO IT’S FOR:
For Those Drawn to Process
Aizome Studio workshops are open to:
Artists seeking depth in textile practice
Beginners ready to engage seriously with process
Experienced makers refining technique
Those interested in Japanese textile traditions
No prior experience is required—only a willingness to work with attention and care.
Learning Through Doing
Instruction within Aizome Studio emphasizes:
Direct engagement with materials
Slow, attentive making
Understanding over outcome
Repetition as a path to mastery
Students work in small groups, allowing for individual guidance and the ability to respond to each stage of the process as it unfolds.
Mistakes are part of the work. So is refinement.
Opening indigo-dyed shibori fabric to reveal stitched resist patterns, Signature Shibori Series by Aizome Studio | Suzanne Connors