Japanese indigo dyeing, shibori and katazome, taught in small groups by Suzanne Connors. Classes run in Stuart, Florida through the winter and spring and in the North Carolina mountains in summer and fall. No experience is needed.
Signature workshops are confirmed
as soon as you register.
Madeline Island · Sanborn Mills · the Morikami Museum
THE 2026 / 2027 SEASON
Choose a date to study in Stuart. No experience is needed for the Signature Series or Katazome.
Planning your visitStuart, Florida · 10 am to 4 pm
Begin with two shibori approaches on Japanese tenugui cotton, then dye in indigo. First-time and returning students are welcome. Bring an apron, long gloves, small hand tools, an old towel and needles.
With Suzanne Connors. Confirmed when you register.
Stuart, Florida · 10 am to 4 pm
Explore folded resist with blocks, clamps and bindings. Three tenugui-size sample cloths and a prepared indigo vat are provided for classroom use. Extra fabric is available to purchase. All levels welcome.
With Suzanne Connors.
Stuart, Florida · 10 am to 4 pm
Develop control of cloth, resist and indigo over two days. This intensive is part of the Signature Shibori Series and can be taken on its own. Specialty materials are provided through the material fee.
With Suzanne Connors. Confirmed when you register.
Stuart, Florida · 9 am to 4 pm
All five intensives in sequence over ten teaching days: January 18 to 19, 20 to 21, 22 to 23, 25 to 26, and 27 to 28. Work with a traditional fermented sukumo vat with no more than ten students. The balance is due by November 19, 60 days before the retreat starts. Specialty supplies are discussed on registration; your own cloth is welcome.
With Suzanne Connors. Confirmed when you register.
Stuart, Florida · 10 am to 4 pm
A one-day introduction for first-time and returning students. Each session explores two shibori approaches on Japanese tenugui cotton, from folding and binding through dyeing and rinsing. Bring an apron, long gloves, small hand tools, an old towel and needles.
With Suzanne Connors. Confirmed when you register.
Stuart, Florida · 9 am to 4 pm
Prepare and apply rice paste, work with katagami stencil design, and build a repeat. Includes a bonus noren pattern. No experience is needed. Class is limited to 10; indigo kits are available to buy.
With Suzanne Connors. Confirmed when you register.
Stuart, Florida · 10 am to 4 pm
Explore stitched and gathered resist through Kumo & Nui Shibori. Beginners work on foundational control while returning students develop precision and complexity. Take this intensive on its own or as part of the Signature Series.
With Suzanne Connors. Confirmed when you register.
Try another technique or view the full Aizome season.
THE SIGNATURE SHIBORI SERIES
Begin with a day, focus on one technique, or work through the whole series. First-time and returning students are welcome.
OPEN · RINSE · REVEALSHIBORI FUNDAMENTALS
Fold and bind Japanese tenugui cotton, then work through the indigo vat, dip by dip. Explore two shibori approaches and leave with finished cloth and the foundations to keep going.
SHIBORI FOUNDATIONS
Spend two days studying cloth, resist and indigo. Develop foundational control through repeated practice, with time to refine how you work. This intensive can be taken on its own.
SHIBORI MASTERY RETREAT
Work through all five intensives over ten teaching days, from foundations and pattern language to layering and large cloth. Return to the same work and build complexity using a traditional fermented sukumo vat.
Take individual workshops or study the full series. The January retreat includes all five intensives over ten teaching days, with a break on January 24. The series suits artists who want a deeper technical understanding, beginners who are ready to learn through process, and returning students refining their work.
THE MASTERY RETREAT
The full retreat gives you continuity: time to return to your cloth, refine a pattern, and build a personal way of working with traditional Japanese indigo.
Explore the ten-day retreatINSIDE THE PRACTICE
Shibori starts before the dye. The cloth is folded, stitched, bound or clamped, and wherever it's held tight the indigo can't reach. Each dip in the vat takes the blue a shade deeper.
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A DIFFERENT WAY WITH INDIGO
In katazome, rice paste is pressed through a hand-cut stencil onto cloth. The paste holds the pattern pale as the indigo deepens around it.
Over five days you'll learn to mix rice paste, design and cut a stencil, and line it up so the pattern repeats cleanly.
March 22 to 26, 2027 · 9 am to 4 pm
Stuart, Florida · No experience needed
$920 tuition · $180 deposit until Jan 7
Materials fee additional · Class limited to 10
RETREATS AND JAPAN
Suzanne's retreats in the North Carolina mountains and her textile trips to Japan fill early. This fall's retreat and the Northern Japan trip have waiting lists, and she's already planning Japan for 2028.
MURPHY, NORTH CAROLINA
Indigo, eco-printing and hand stitching with Suzanne and guest artists, with the mountains around you.
October 13 to 22, 2026Waiting list · $1,200 tuition
Join the waiting listSummer Shibori & Indigo Mastery · July 16 to 20, 2027
Ask Suzanne about summer 2027Ten days at Wagonmaster Ranch Resort. $1,200 tuition. Breakfast is included; lunch is shared brown-bag style. Dinners and lodging aren't included.
July 16 to 20, 2027. A retreat home with lodging, studio worktables and a full kitchen under one roof.
JAPAN TEXTILE JOURNEYS
Fifteen days with the artisans and places behind indigo, shibori, kasuri, katagami and washi.
Southern Japan · May 3 to 17, 2027Full
Northern Japan · May 22 to June 5, 2027Waiting list
For former Aya students or those who spend at least a week in the studio first. Every applicant is interviewed.
Join the Northern Japan waiting listTell me about 2028Southern Japan travels from Fukuoka to Osaka, with indigo, kasuri weaving and papermaking. Northern Japan includes Tokyo, Kyoto, Arimatsu and beyond. Expect 10,000 to 17,000 steps a day.
Each trip is listed at $4,500 with a $700 non-refundable deposit. Suzanne estimates $4,000 to $5,000 excluding airfare and rail pass; exchange rates can change the final cost. Southern Japan also excludes lodging (about $120 a night per person except where included with a workshop), most meals and optional extras. Final payment is due 60 days before departure.
ALSO THIS SEASON
Through April 2027, the Stuart studio hosts Suzanne's eco-print workshops and visiting artists in surface design, stitch, paper and book arts.
Visiting-artist workshops run once six students sign up. Wait for your confirmation email before booking travel you can't change.
Explore the full Aya seasonNOVEMBER 10 TO 13, 2026
With Suzanne Connors · Stuart, Florida
$720 tuition · Materials additional
NOVEMBER 30 TO DECEMBER 4, 2026
With Heidi Parkes · Stuart, Florida
$1,320 tuition
DECEMBER 8 & 9, 2026
With Suzanne Connors · Stuart, Florida
Basic sewing machine skills needed
$320 tuition · $120 deposit until Oct 14
Materials fee additional
FROM SUZANNE'S TEXTILE PRACTICETHE ARTIST & TEACHER
Suzanne teaches indigo, shibori and katazome at craft schools and art centers across the country, from Madeline Island to Sanborn Mills. She's kept a working fiber studio since 2008, and she keeps studying through research and regular trips to Japan, where she works with artisans like Makiko Tokunaga in Tokushima.
“My goal is to give students authentic technique, deep context, and the confidence to keep creating long after they leave the studio.”Invite Suzanne to teach
BEFORE YOU COME
Many students travel to study with Suzanne. These are the questions they ask first.
Ask Suzanne a questionYes. No experience is needed for the Signature Shibori Series or Katazome. Beginners build foundational control while returning students work on precision and complexity within the same technique.
Aizome Signature workshops have no minimum enrollment and are confirmed when you register. Aya visiting-artist workshops need six students and are confirmed by email. If a Signature class has only one student near the date, Suzanne may offer you the choice of attending as scheduled or transferring.
Palm Beach International and Vero Beach airports are each about 45 minutes away. Fort Lauderdale is about an hour and 45 minutes away. A rental car is recommended. Book lodging early for January through April.
Most workshops run 9 am to 4 pm; one- and two-day Signature classes usually run 10 am to 4 pm. Your registration page gives the exact times. Coffee, tea and light refreshments are usually available. Bring lunch or order with the group; there's a fridge and microwave.
Tables are standing height with stools. Let Suzanne know before you come if you need a seated workspace.
Bring an apron or studio clothes, comfortable shoes, a notebook, a water bottle, and the supplies listed for your workshop. Fundamentals students also bring long gloves, small hand tools, an old towel and needles.
Join the waiting list on the event's registration page. Places are offered in order of sign-up. You can also email Suzanne to hear about new dates.
Many workshops offer a deposit option before their payment deadline. Deposits are non-refundable, and the event's registration page has the current payment choices and terms. Email Suzanne if you'd like to discuss paying the balance over time.
NEW DATES
Back to the topFind a workshop, ask a question, or send Suzanne a note and she'll let you know when the next season's dates are set.
Find your workshopEmail Suzanne for new dates