History of TextilesOrigins &

Shibori Dyeing

Origins of Textiles• Wore animal skins =

protection, decoration• Developed range of

materials for clothing/fabric:– Animal skins– Animal fibers (silkworm,

sheep, goat, camel, rabbit, feathers)

– Plant fibers (cotton, jute, yucca)

Origins of Fibers• Linen: from

Mesopotamia• Flax fibers• Earliest known old

world textile– Turkey, 6500 BC– Egypt: tomb wrappings

• Spread from this area into Europe

Origins of Fibers• Cotton: Indus River &

southern Mexico• Cotton plants• Found in tombs in India,

from 3000 BC• Described in Hindu

hymns from 1400 BC• Also made in early

China and pre-Inca Peru

Origins of Fibers• Silk: Northern China• Before 3000 BC• Silkworms• The Silk Road helped

spread trade of silk from Asian East to Europe in West

Origins of Fibers• Wool: west Asia, 9000

BC• Sheep (had to be

domesticated first)• Made into fabric: Stone

Age, 1.75 million years ago

• Usable woolen fabrics developed in Iraq, around 1200 BC

Textile Production• At home, by hand,

influenced by local traditions

• Made what you needed, sold what you didn’t need

• Craft Guilds:– Formed around different

parts of textile production– Set quality standards,

working methods

Textile Production• Industrial

Revolution: changed everything!– 18th & 19th

Centuries– Mechanized

production for mass market

Modern Fibers• Cotton• Linen• Silk• Wool/Angora/Alpaca• Synthetic

– Examples: polyester, nylon, ramie

Textile/Fibers Art Forms• Weaving/Tapestry• Quilting• Sewing• Embroidery• Felting• Surface Design

– Printing– Dyeing

Dyeing• Stone Age: vegetable dyes• Bronze Age: more complex

processes• Natural dyes:

– Plants: saffron, madder, weld, indigo– Animals: mollusks, cochineal

• 19th Century: synthetic dyes developed

Shibori• Since 8th Century CE• Japanese form of shaped

resist dyeing• Natural dyes (indigo)• Manipulating 2-D cloth

into 3-D shapes before compressing to dye

• Also found in other forms in other countries

• Made into kimono, obi

Shibori• Kanoko: wrapped & tied

Shibori• Oboshi: small stitches pulled

into core and capped with plastic

Shibori• Techniques we will use:

– Fold & clamp– Arashi (pole-wrapping)– Binding– Stitching