Dyeing fabric is a useful technique to know. Undyed fabrics can be dyed to a whole pallet of colors and dyed fabrics can be over dyed to give them a new lease of life.

Remnants of fabrics can be dyed a single colorway, making them ideal for a quilt or patchwork project. Over dyeing a range of fabrics with a single color will present a wide selection of different colors, but all with a similar tone. Lighter colors, of course, will pick up the color of the new dye more readily than darker colors. This is a handy technique to use when looking torecycle and repurpose garments and fabrics.

Dyeing Techniques

Different dyeing techniques can create some wonderful and extremely unusual effects on fabric. Tie dyeing is very familiar, and whilst some of the clunky first attempts (often as a child) might conjure up some horrible memories, when done correctly the effects can be quite stunning. Other dyeing techniques such as shibori, dip dyeing, batik, printing etc each bring something different to the fabric. Silk painted panels can be incorporated into garments – a silk painted panel incorporated into a shawl for instance would have a stunning effect, or pieces of painted silk could be used as an appliqué decoration.

Finished garments can be dyed, and this can present an extremely good way to create some unique garments relatively cheaply. For instance a whole summer wardrobe could be created from a few yards of undyed cotton, and dyed afterwards in a range of complimentary colors. Or perhaps separate pieces of different garments could be dyed together before making up. This really lights the creative touch paper!

1. Tie dyeing Tie-dye is a process of resist dyeing textiles or clothing which is made from knit or woven fabric, usually cotton; typically using bright colors. It is a modern version of traditional dyeing methods used in many cultures throughout the world. "Tie-dye" can also describe the resulting pattern or an item which features this pattern. Tie-dyeing became fashionable in the West in the late 1960s and early 1970s as part of hippie style. It was popularized in the United States by musicians such as John Sebastian, Janis Joplin, The Grateful Dead and Joe Cocker.

Tie-dyeing is accomplished by folding the material into a pattern, and binding it with string or rubber bands. Dye is then applied to only parts of the material. The ties prevent the entire material from being dyed. Designs are formed by applying different colors of dyes to different sections of the wet fabric. A wet t-shirt is much easier to use rather than just dyeing on a dry t-shirt. Once complete, the material is rinsed, and the dye is set.

Below is a list of common modern tie-dyeing folds and patterns.

Spiral

Spiral patterns are created by gathering a small section,usually with a clothes pin or a kitchen

fork, in the middle of the fabric and slowly rotating the piece creating pleats of fabric arranged in

swirls around a central point. It is then gathered into a flat round bundle and the different

wedges of the circular bundle are usually dyed different colors to create a greater spiral effect. [6]

V

The 'V' shape is achieved by folding a shirt in half vertically, then a line is drawn diagonally from

the shoulder area down to the center fold of the shirt. The fabric is then accordingly folded along

the line and bound into one or more areas to which the dye is applied. This will show in the

shape of a 'V'.

Random

This category can hold several different patterns, the majority of which have nothing to do with

each other; they can be combinations or they can be as chaotic as bundling the item to be dyed.

Random circles

This effect is made by tying knots with string or elastic bands in different places. The more fabric

that is tied, the larger the circles.

2. Shibori Shibori is a Japanese term for several methods of dyeing cloth with a pattern by binding, stitching, folding, twisting, compressing it, or capping. Some of these methods are known in the West as tie-dye.

Techniques

There is an infinite number of ways one can bind, stitch, fold, twist, or compress cloth for shibori,

and each way results in very different patterns. Each method is used to achieve a certain result,

but each method is also used to work in harmony with the type of cloth used. Therefore, the

technique used in shibori depends not only on the desired pattern, but the characteristics of the

cloth being dyed. Also, different techniques can be used in conjunction with one another to

achieve even more elaborate results.

Ne-maki shibori example.

Kanoko shibori

Kanoko shibori is what is commonly thought of in the West as tie-dye. It involves binding certain

sections of the cloth to achieve the desired pattern. Traditional shibori requires the use of thread

for binding. The pattern achieved depends on how tightly the cloth is bound and where the cloth

is bound. If random sections of the cloth are bound, the result will be a pattern of random

circles. If the cloth is first folded then bound, the resulting circles will be in a pattern depending

on the fold used.

Miura shibori

Miura shibori is also known as looped binding. It involves taking a hooked needle and plucking

sections of the cloth. Then a thread is looped around each section twice. The thread is not

knotted; tension is the only thing that holds the sections in place. The resulting dyed cloth is a

water-like design. Because no knot is used, miurea shibori is very easy to bind and unbind.

Therefore, this technique is very often used.

Kumo shibori

Kumo shibori is a pleated and bound resist. This technique involves pleating sections of the

cloth very finely and evenly. Then the cloth is bound in very close sections. The result is a very

specific spider-like design. This technique is very precise to produce this specific design.

Nui shibori

Nui shibori includes stitched shibori. A simple running stitch is used on the cloth then pulled tight

to gather the cloth. The thread must be pulled very tight to work, and a wooden dowel must

often be used to pull it tight enough. Each thread is secured by knotting before being dyed.

This technique allows for greater control of the pattern and greater variety of pattern, but it is

much more time consuming.

Arashi shibori

Arashi shibori is also known as pole-wrapping shibori. The cloth is wrapped on a diagonal

around a pole. Then the cloth is very tightly bound by wrapping thread up and down the pole.

Next, the cloth is scrunched on the pole. The result is a pleated cloth with a design on a

diagonal. "Arashi" is the Japanese word for storm. The patterns are always on a diagonal in

arashi shibori which suggest the driving rain of a heavy storm.

Itajime shibori

Itajime shibori is a shaped-resist technique. Traditionally, the cloth is sandwiched between two

pieces of wood, which are held in place with string. More modern textile artists can be found

using shapes cut from acrylic or plexiglass and holding the shapes with C-clamps. The shapes

prevent the dye from penetrating the fabric they cover.

3. Batik Batik is a cloth that traditionally uses a manual wax-resist dyeing technique. Batik or fabrics

with the traditional batik patterns are found

in Indonesia, Malaysia, Japan, China,Azerbaijan, India, Sri Lanka, Egypt, Nigeria, Senegal,

and Singapore.

Javanese traditional batik, especially from Yogyakarta and Surakarta, has notable meanings

rooted to the Javanese conceptualization of the universe. Traditional colours include indigo,

dark brown, and white, which represent the three major Hindu Gods (Brahmā, Visnu, and Śiva).

This is related to the fact that natural dyes are most commonly available in indigo and brown.

Certain patterns can only be worn by nobility; traditionally, wider stripes or wavy lines of greater

width indicated higher rank. Consequently, during Javanese ceremonies, one could determine

the royal lineage of a person by the cloth he or she was wearing.

Other regions of Indonesia have their own unique patterns that normally take themes from

everyday lives, incorporating patterns such as flowers, nature, animals, folklore or people. The

colours of pesisir batik, from the coastal cities of northern Java, is especially vibrant, and it

absorbs influence from the Javanese, Arab, Chinese and Dutch cultures. In the colonial times

pesisir batik was a favourite of the Peranakan Chinese, Dutch and Eurasians.

Javanese batik with bird and floral motifs

 

Batik Buketan Pekalongan shows European flower bouquet

 

Batik Lasem with its typical bright red

 

Batik Java Hokokai demonstrated Japanese influenced motifs

Technique

Batik painting in Java during colonial period. Observe many different varieties of patterns used.

 

Dipping cloth in dye.

 

Production of batik cloth in Java, Dutch East Indies, 1912.

 

A Batik Tulis maker applying melted wax following pattern on fabric using canting, Yogyakarta

(city), Indonesia.

Melted wax (Javanese: malam) is applied to cloth before being dipped in dye. It is common for

people to use a mixture of beeswax and paraffin wax. The beeswax will hold to the fabric and

the paraffin wax will allow cracking, which is a characteristic of batik. Wherever the wax has

seeped through the fabric, the dye will not penetrate. Sometimes several colours are used, with

a series of dyeing, drying and waxing steps.

Thin wax lines are made with a tjanting, a wooden handled tool with a tiny metal cup with a tiny

spout, out of which the wax seeps. After the last dyeing, the fabric is hung up to dry. Then it is

dipped in a solvent to dissolve the wax, or ironed between paper towels or newspapers to

absorb the wax and reveal the deep rich colors and the fine crinkle lines that give batik its

character. This traditional method of batik making is called batik tulis.

For batik prada, gold leaf was used in the Yogjakarta and Surakarta area. The Central Javanese

used gold dust to decorate their prada cloth. It was applied to the fabric using a handmade glue

consisting of egg white or linseed oil and yellow earth. The gold would remain on the cloth even

after it had been washed. The gold could follow the design of the cloth or could take on its own

design. Older batiks could be given a new look by applying gold to them.