yellow and green shibori

This is the concluding post of my dye experiment using tansy flowers. See my previous posts: “yellow from my dye pot, and mordant testing on tansy dye bath.”  For this part of the experiment,  I started with two silk scarves that were previously dyed yellow with tansy. These scarves were then over-dyed with indigo, which resulted in a beautiful forest green background. The yellow pattern is a result of using two different Shibori resist techniques (Nui, and Itajime) of folding, creasing, stitching and shaped resist-dyeing before dipping into the indigo vat.

A brief description about the different techniques. Nui Shibori designs are created by hand stitching in a straight, curved, or parallel lines on the fabric; the stitching is then drawn together and secured tightly before it is dyed. The folds and creases of cloth between the gathers form a resist from being dyed. This technique is a little time-consuming, but the end results are quite rewarding.

stitched, clamped and ready for the indigo dye vat

stitching removed, revealing yellow and indigo oxidizing in the air from blue to forest green

diamond-shaped designs in yellow and forest green

Itajime Shibori is a shaped resist-technique by sandwiching two pieces of wood or plastic templates between the folds of fabric. The stack is held in place by securing with strings or C-clamps. The shapes act as a resist and prevent the dye from penetrating the area that is covered by the templates. It is very important to make sure the top and bottom templates are in alignment with each other so that the exact shape of  templates is transferred to the dyed fabric.

Itajime Shibori, color shifting from blue to green within 8-10 minutes when exposed in the air

L-shaped resist-dyeing in yellow and forest green

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