Saturday 15 and Sunday 16 August 2026, 2 - 5pm BST: Soy Paste Resist Indigo Dyeing with Yiran Duan

Online Workshop with Yiran Duan of Yi Crafts

Saturday 15 and Sunday 16 August 2026, 2 - 5pm BST (British Summer Time)

Yiran Duan is Mandarin Chinese and English bilingual with strong interests in crafts, textiles and their role in cultural communication and learning. She has built a broad experience of costume making, design and supervision in performance. She is passionate about exploring communication between the East and the West, and her practice has focused on how to combine embroidery and traditional elements from Chinese costumes with Western techniques to explore intercultural connections. As a member of southern China’s Bai minority ethnicity, she is interested in the conservation of ethnic minority craft techniques.

Founded by Duan, Yi Crafts is an East and Southeast Asia handcrafts studio based in north western London founded in 2019. In a city celebrated for its diversity, Duan observed an absence - China was often spoken of as a monolith, its dazzling tapestry of minority cultures overlooked. Yi Crafts exists to challenge that narrative, placing the vanishing crafts and cuisine of China’s ethnic groups into the spotlight.

Workshop Description
Join us for a hands-on, immersive two-day workshop exploring the beautiful and historic craft of Lan Yin Hua Bu (蓝印花布) — a traditional Chinese indigo-dyed textile that uses soy paste resist to create intricate, symbolic patterns. Rooted in folk life and passed down through generations, this technique embodies the soul of rural Chinese craftsmanship.

Over the course of the workshop, you’ll gain insight into the cultural background of Lan Yin Hua Bu and the history of indigo textiles in China. You’ll learn how to make traditional soy paste from scratch, and begin experimenting with ready-made templates to get a feel for the application process. Once you’ve learned the basics, you’ll be able to carve your own design and bring your unique vision to life on cloth.

The workshop also includes instruction on how to set up and maintain your own indigo dye vat at home. You’ll make your own hand-dyed textile pieces, rich with layers of culture, personal creativity, and the deep blue hues of natural indigo.

Included in Your Material Pack:

• Templates
• Scraper 
• Several sample linen/cotton fabrics 
• One cotton bag
• Indigo powder

Additional Materials to Bring:

• Soya flour powder 
• Calcium Hydroxide (Builders lime/slaked lime)
• Plastic container (for soy paste)
• Dye pot (8 litres minimum)
• Wooden spoon for stir dye vat

Level
Suitable for all levels. 

Please Note: Material packs are shipped on an insured, trackable delivery service. Any customs duties, delays, lost or undeliverable packages are the responsibility of the customer. Once a material pack leaves the workshop tutors' hands with a tracking number, the seller has no further obligation to the buyer.

If we reach capacity, we may close bookings. Be mindful that we must close bookings at least 3 weeks before the workshop, in order to ship material packs. Book now to avoid disappointment.

Location
This is an online event. A Zoom link will be sent to participants the week before the workshop.

Recording
This workshop will be recorded, and a link to the recording will be emailed to all participants. Please allow 7 working days for us to send you the recording.



Cancellation Policy

All places reserved for workshops are non-refundable. 

If you require additional information about this workshop please contact events@selvedge.org.

Visit Yi Crafts
Follow Yi Crafts