SHIBORI INDIGO DYEING
Shibori refers to a variety of Japanese manual resist-dyeing techniques. It is commonly used with indigo, but you can use other colors or types of dye with the same techniques. The word shibori comes from the verb root ‘Shiboru’ which means to ring, squeeze, press. Most languages don’t have a term that encompasses all shibori techniques as each have a distinct name. In English, we often use tie dye, but really that is just one type of technique.
HOW TO SHIBORI INDIGO DYE
SUPPLIES
Indigo Tie-Dye Kit from Jaquard or Maiwa
Rubber Bands
Clothespins
String
Fabric/Tea Towel (make sure it is cotton, silk, or linen)
2 - 5 gallon buckets (1 for clear water, 1 for dye vat)
Scissors
Gloves (ideally longer gloves)
Paint Stick
Cardboard Squares (I cut up boxes with an x-acto knife) PVC Pipe
Tongs
Dropcloth and/or Tarp
Clothing Rack or somewhere to hang your textiles to dry
Step-By-Step
1. First, prewash your textiles.
2. Prep your textiles by folding in desired style.
2. Prepare your dye bath and a bucket of clear water.
3. Soak textile in clear water and squeeze out excess water.
4. Submerge your textile in dye bath for about 5 minutes, rubbing it around with your hands. Squeeze out, careful not to make bubbles in the bath, when done.
5. Set on dropcloth to oxidize for 20 minutes. Your textile should change from yellow-green to blue.
6. Check if you like the shade of blue. If you want a darker shade, repeat step 4 and 5.
7. Rinse textile in clear water bucket.
8. Unwrap/unravel!
SHIBORI INDIGO DYEING INSPIRATION
Tag us on instagram @distillcreative and share your final project! #distillcreative #shiboriindigodyeing
SHIBORI DYEING RESOURCES
BOOK
Shibori: The Inventive Art of Japanese Resist Dyeing by Yoshiko Iwamoto Wada, Mary Kellogg Rice, Jane Barton
SHIBORI INDIGO DYEING ON THE BLOG
