indigo & shibori
Indigo is a natural dye obtained from the leaves of the indigo plant: there are several varieties that produce this special hue. Indigo has been used all over the world from very ancient times, with the process of extracting the dye from the leaves varying between cultures. The colour obtained is a very pleasing deep blue that can be intensified by several dips into the indigo vat. This collection of work was produced during my color lab class at SCAD.
process
Shibori is an ancient resist technique that originated in Japan and means to fold or compress the fabric. By manipulating the cloth with stitching, clamping and binding, this process creates natural resist areas so that when the fabric is dyed the hidden parts remain white while the exposed sections are dyed indigo, creating intricate, dynamic patterns.
technique
Arashi is Japanese for 'storm' and the fabric produced through this technique shows some very dramatic effects reminiscent of diagonal rain. The fabric is bound onto a pole and compressed before dipping into the indigo vat.
Mokume fabric has a textured, wood grained effect after dyeing and is created by stitching the fabric by hand before pulling up the threads very tightly to create the resist. This technique has been perfected by the Japanese and artisans there create very intricate designs.
Itajime is a method of shibori that involves folding the fabric into a geometric shape using concertina folds in different directions. Using boards, clamps or ties to compress the fabric, beautiful, repetitive designs are created.
