SHIBORI¶

About¶

I guess you already know a lot about Shibori from the conception page, but let’s remember again what it is, what types exist, and how it is done.

This Japanese dyeing method is full of tradition. It is called Shibori (fold / bind / twist resist dyeing). Another related technique is Yūzen, which uses paste resist for detailed designs. Very often for this dyeing method they use indigo color, and sometimes leaves or other plants to create patterns (like in Katazome).

Here are some examples of Shibori folding.

The main six types, their names, and folding methods are from my previous documentation:

Kanoko Shibori

Miura Shibori

Nui Shibori

Kumo Shibori

Arashi Shibori

Itajime Shibori

A deeper exploration of techniques¶

Arimatsu Shibori¶

After some research, one of my favorite techniques became Arimatsu Shibori (Arashi Shibori). I found an interesting instructional video that shows how this type of shibori is made. I really like the vertical line patterns and started thinking about how these lines could be translated into folding and gathering structures. But first, let’s look at the technique itself.

In this video and in traditional way of making this patern uses indigo collor. it is grat blue natural dye which work perfectly with this tecnic becous of its unique working aspects. it is hard tecniq but the pass of it useing for shibori is the time during which the fabric stay in the dying wather not a lot of hours and couldnt to soak up and spread color across the space. i want exxperiment with indigo collor too but in my final project i gues i wiLl chose any armenian plants dying mathod.In the video and in the traditional process, indigo is used. It is a beautiful natural blue dye that works perfectly with this technique because of its specific behavior in water. Although the technique is quite difficult, the key point in shibori is that the fabric does not stay in the dye bath for a very long time, so the color does not fully spread and blur into the whole surface.

I also want to experiment with indigo, but for my final project I think I will choose natural dyes from Armenian plants instead.

Itajime Shibori¶

I like this technique not only because of the interesting and beautiful results, but also because of the geometric forms, which are easy to continue and develop in my future work. It has different variations, using triangles or squares. Both give very interesting results and have a very similar making process. First, let’s look at the square version.

In this video, we can see some important points. The first one is ironing. This is the most important part for “breaking” the lines and making them as sharp and regular as possible. The second important point is the use of clamps. Clamps are the most effective way to fasten the folds very tightly, so the dye cannot fully penetrate the middle parts. In many videos, we can also see different techniques and experiments with indigo dye.

Here is another video that shows more options for making Itajime Shibori and its results. I especially like the method with a cylinder, which I had not heard about before. Let’s learn these methods step by step from this instruction.

Techniques which I try¶

Dying¶

For dyeing, I used hibiscus. It has an amazing color, but it doesn’t stay after many washings — it loses the color and fades. It also needs a lot of material, but anyway it is a beautiful plant with a beautiful color, and I really recommend trying it at least once.

Hibiscus is perfect for inks, watercolors, and similar materials, but it is not very good for permanent dye. Its pigments are water-soluble, pH-sensitive, and light-sensitive. It works very well with silk, wool, and felt, and a bit less with cotton. But I still needed cotton, because after research I realized that it is the most common fabric for dyeing, 3D printing, and other kinds of experiments.

I used the scoured and mordanted fabrics that we prepared during the biofabrication week.

Hibiscus Dye Extraction¶

Ingredients: (hibiscus + water)

Hibiscus petals - 50–100% WOF
Add water and hibiscus
Heat to 70–80°C (DO NOT boil)
Steep 30–60 min
Take off petals

I started heating it slowly to control the temperature. I kept it heating for about one hour. After that, I turned off the heat and let it cool down slowly. Then I left it on the side for about 18 hours (you can leave it less or more, just make sure it cools down to room temperature).

Shibori folding¶

Itajime¶

I made three cotton fabrics. One of them was linen, two others were standard thick cotton. I ironed them and started folding. The first technique was Itajime. The first time I did it without ironing, but Svetlana, one of our participants, said that it will not work like that, so I redid it. In the video we can see the correct technique.

What we need:

Iron, fabric, and scissors. You can moisten the cloth for better absorption, but I did it without wetting.

After folding, I cut wood and made squares according to my fabric sizes. I put the fabric between two wooden parts and fixed them with rubber bands (it is better to use clips if you have them), because with high temperature the rubber can deform or even cut, so it is not the best choice.

What we have:

Arashi¶

I made it using the technique from the previous video. I took mouliné thread and, with all my power, tied the fabric tightly. I connected the two sides of the cloth so that it would take less space in the container and not stick to the walls.

After doing this, I understood that next time I should choose threads made of non-natural materials. They will not change or react during the dyeing process.

Experiment with shape¶

I just remembered a scrolling shape. I don’t know where it came from, maybe from my mind. I took the fabric, started scrolling it from the middle part, and fixed it with a disposable rubber band. It looked strange, but I decided to try it anyway. You can see the result in the previous photo, and now let’s look at the shibori experiments together.

Dying process¶

We had the liquid ready and put it again on the fire and started heating it. Immediately after turning on the fire, I put all the fabrics inside and started pushing them deeper with a stick.

Dyeing cotton

Add mordanted cotton to dye bath
Heat slowly to 60–70°C
Move gently every 15 minutes for even color
Dye 30-60 min

For a better result it is perfect to raise the temperature very slowly and keep it around 60–70°C for more than one hour. If it is possible, it is even better to keep this temperature for a few hours.

For this I used a thermometer. It is important not to let the thermometer touch the bottom of the pot and to keep it inside for about one minute, because sometimes the last 5–10°C are hard to read quickly.

Turn off the fire, close the container and let it cool down slowly. Keep the fabrics inside until the next day, around 24 hours. After that take them out and start unboxing.

First shibori unboxing.