Getting Ready for Shibori Dyeing

Two summers ago we did some indigo dyeing, and although it was a tremendous amount of work (especially for Marilyn who prepared the indigo vat)–I have been thinking about the shibori dyeing we did as part of our indigo dyeing day.  We had gathered, stitched and bound shibori cloth prior to the indigo day and had very successful experiences.  Here you can see the bound corks I used for my large cotton gauze cloth.

I dye shibori patterns with indigo vat

 

To refresh my memory of different shibori techniques, I checked out a few library books, among them Lynne Caldwell’s “Shibori:  A Beginner’s Guide” and a lovely book on the history, designs and methods of shibori by Yoshiko Iwamoto Wada entitled “Memory on Cloth.”

 

Many shibori practitioners today use acid or fiber reactive dyes, but in keeping with my desire to use only natural dyes, I decided to begin there.  Start simple.  I gathered odds and ends from my household which could be used for making patterns in the shibori tradition.  Next week, I will post about my first experimental shibori dyeing with NATURAL dyes.

Gathering odds and ends for shibori

Tools for designing shibori patterns on cloth

Clamping linen in triangle pattern

Rolling cloth on copper pipe