At our March meeting, Michele Turner led a fascinating Shibori Resist Dyeing workshop. Shibori is the Japanese word for a variety of ways of embellishing textiles by shaping cloth and securing it before dyeing. The word comes from the verb root shiboru, "to wring, squeeze, press." The result is beautiful, unique fabrics that can be used for just about any purpose. Our workshop used stitches to create hidden areas of the fabric that dye cannot reach (people are generally familiar with Tie-Dyeing; tie-dyeing is a form of Shibori Resist Dyeing.) We started by transferring a sampler template to some cotton fabric using water- or air-soluble pens. This allowed us to see for ourselves how different stitch shapes and combinations produce different effects. We then stitched each line on the template using running stitches and very strong thread. Each thread was secured with a bullion knot. In some places we used rubber bands around buttons to produce “bunched” areas. Once stitching was complete, the threads were pulled up very tightly indeed and knotted. The next step was to soak the work in water before applying dye. We used direct dyes and pipettes to inject the dye onto the fabric with a certain amount of precision. This was great fun – with everyone using colours differently. Once our creativity had run its course, the pieces were wrapped and heated in slow cookers to set the dye. The final step was to rinse the work and snip away the running stitches to reveal the finished piece. This workshop was a fabulous way to spend the day. I was very keen to try this technique at home and have since dyed tote bags and project bags with good results thanks to Michele’s great teaching. Michele also brought along a wonderful array of samples of her work, which were incredibly varied and inspirational. (See our Gallery for more photographs. ) Deb Cunningham Comments are closed.
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