Teal Dreams
Penny Muncaster-Jewell


One of my grand passions is Shibori and dyeing. This garment started out life as a piece of black silk organza. Several different Shibori or resist techniques were applied to the silk organza that was then discharged using a Thiox discharge pot. This including stringing around a pipe, squishing into knee highs, accordion pleating and then securing with clothes pegs and popsicle sticks! The resulting patterning left in the fabric was a true joy and splendid. These pieces were then layered one on top of another and painted using Setacolor in shades of Turquoise, Copper Shimmer, Cobalt Blue, Electric Shimmer, and Ultramarine. The fabrics were then dried outside on the lawn or on the fence if very windy. I have some of the neatest colored fences!

The resulting fabric was then taken and pieced together using the incredibly tiny French seams, as used in the Korean Pojagi wrapping clothes. I learned this seaming technique from Jack Brockette from Waco Texas, a wonderful man. The fabric was then used to create the jacket shown. I guess it was successful since someone stole the original. I had enough remaining fabric to recreate this version. I love the rich colors that the results from this method of discharging and painting.

I teach this as a weekend workshop and my students get to create approximately 11 yards of fabric so that they can then create their own garment later. They also learn how to do the French seams, without having to have too much wine.


The Sky is not the limit, nor are the stars. It’s your imagination!