Indigo tie dyed garments are very famous in Chiang Mai and are sold at most markets here. I have always loved the combination of blue and white and even have my own favorite vendor in the night market!
As luck would have it, I came across a workshop teaching the very same technique online and signed up at once!
The cost of the private workshop for 3 of us was Thb. 5400 and included pick up/drop off, all materials (we were given 5 small hankies,a t shirt and a scarf), a fruit snack and lunch (A great deal which gets even cheaper as the number of participants increase.)
Our guide, Pui, was waiting punctually for us at 9 am in our hotel lobby and drove us to her family farm where the workshop is held- a drive of around 40 mins.
Once we arrived at our venue Pui explained a bit about the process and handed out the hankies which were our practice pieces to see how different patterns are achieved. She guided us through the process and encouraged us to experiment with our designs if we wanted to.
We came to realize very soon that achieving the crisp patterns and designs we saw in stores, or even our own innovative designs, was VERY difficult and required a lot practice and hard work. Still the process was very interesting for us and the revelation of the design on each of our pieces was super exciting!
Competition was fierce to see who had the best pieces and I think all of us won in different categories!!!
Here's a pictorial representation of the day!
Arrive at the Venue and Short Briefing
Practice Pieces
Dipping and Drying Hankies
Snack Break
Working on T-Shirt and Scarf
Dipping and Drying
Lunch
Yummy freshly made Thai Phad See Ew!
And The Winners Are......
Best Hanky- Mine! Best Scarf- My Daughter! Best T-shirt- My Son!
Conclusion
Great way to spend half a day! Not a fancy set up but full of heart. Pui was well spoken,friendly and we got to know a bit about local life in Chiang Mai from her. Would love to do it again but when it's cooler-heat was good for the fabrics but not so much for us!!!