Indigo & Batik Immersion Retreat

Day 1 – Arrive and settle Airport pick-up from Jakarta CGK, optional stopover lunch at an authentic Ayam Bakar in Bogor (self pay), and a walk around the farm before dinner. An early night's rest for an early start tomorrow.

Day 2 – Harvest and start the vat Indigofera is collected in the morning and goes straight into water to ferment. In the afternoon we start your indigo vat, scour the fabric and yarn you brought and mix resist pastes from clay and cassava.

Day 3 – Fresh leaf & resist on cloth Fresh leaf direct dyeing on silk and wool in the morning, yielding the first colours straight from the leaf. We check the fermenting leaves, dye graduated shades and allow the vat to rest and reset. Afternoon is creativity at play with resist application: stencil making, painting with clay, mark making with cassava and setting aside your pieces to dry. Evening is for personal project planning and consultation.

Day 4 – The batik day A full morning with our guest artisans at Batik Lokatmala covering both tjanting and cap technique. After lunch, your batik goes into your own indigo vat and we remove the wax to reveal the work. Cow milking at 2pm for anyone who wants a break. Over dinner we watch In Search of Lost Colour by Maiwa Productions.

Day 5 – Your personal project time A full day dedicated to your own work – dyeing, resist and whatever you have designed, with me on hand for support. Shibori tools are available if you would like to try them as part of your project. Our last evening together is over a shabu shabu and yakiniku farewell dinner.

Day 6 – Bamboo forest and home An early trek through the bamboo forest for anyone up for it, group photos with everything you've dyed at 9am, then check-out and the drive back to CGK.

25–30 August 2027

• Harvesting and fermenting indigofera tinctoria
• Building an indigo vat
• Vat maintenance and troubleshooting
• Fresh leaf direct dyeing
• Dyeing graduated shades of blue
• Making resist pastes from clay and cassava
• Resist application: stencilling, painting, mark making
• Batik tjanting technique
• Batik cap technique
• Dyeing batik in an indigo vat and wax removal
• Finishing methods

Full board accommodation at Sukasantai Farm

• Two-way airport transfer
• 5 nights farmstay
• 5 meals per day (breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks)
• Freeflow tea and coffee
• Farm activities
• Farm-made goodies

Indigo & Batik Immersion WithAutumn

• Craft tote bag
• Personal apron and gloves
• 4 Cotton tenugui squares
• Printed recipes and guide
• Workshop fabric (cotton, silk)
• Your personal tjanting and malam (batik wax)
• An organic cotton scarf (for batik cap pattern)
• All tools and ingredients for indigo & batik
• Indigofera tinctoria seeds

Farm activities included Vegetable harvesting, cow milking, bamboo forest treks, a visit to the essential oils distillery, fishing by the pond and bonfire evenings. Meals are home-cooked and farm to table.

Complete beginners are most welcome. The whole retreat is taught from the ground up, so there is nothing to catch up on before you arrive. A little reading up helps but totally optional if you'd rather jump right in.

It suits makers who already work with textiles in some other way – sewists, knitters, quilters, embroiderers, and anyone who wants to understand the art and science of coaxing the elusive blue from green leaves. If you have worked with indigo before, picked it up from videos, or experienced an indigo dyeing activity on your previous travels, you will spend a fair amount of this week unlearning things and filling knowledge gaps with "aha" moments.

You will need to bring your own fabric and yarn for your personal project. We scour and mordant them together on Day 2, and I will send a Things To Bring guide once you book so you turn up with the right fibres.

You can find details about flights, visas, packing, dietary needs, fitness level, cancellation terms and payment plans on our Retreat FAQ page.

→ Read the Retreat FAQ

If your question isn't answered there, email hello@withautumn.com and I will answer it.