Shibori Indigo Dyed Muumuu

My dear friend Alley turned 40 on Saint Patrick's day. She is one of those people who is really hard to shop for, but who appreciates handmade items. I knew the only option was to make something special for her birthday. In typical Ashley fashion I waited until the last minute. This project came together from purchasing the fabric to dyeing, cutting and sewing the garment over a long weekend.


I had done some indigo and shibori dyeing with my mom, but this was the first time that I did it completely solo. I used the pre-reduced indigo crystals from Dharma Trading and the indigo bath was very easy to mix up. I didn't think it would work, but it totally did!



*Ignore my neglected garden.
I did Arashi Shibori, a process in which you fold and wrap your cloth around a pipe. It was harder than I remembered and with the linen it didn't squish down as much as I thought it would. It still came out beautifully though. I was very pleased with the results on my first try.



I wanted to make Alley a swim cover up and I settled on Simplicity 1375, view D. It was an easy make and easy to fit because it is a loose and flowy Muumuu type dress.



I made a little tag for the dress by signing my name with a micron pen and using wonder under to iron it tag into the garment. I think it is a nice touch and I need to start adding tags to all my handmade garments.

 
I think Alley really liked her short and sexy muumuu and she is going to look fabulous by her pool this summer.