Looking Glass Art - The Shibori Technique

Resist-dyed
Cloth

Shibori is a Japanese word used to describe a myriad of techniques for manipulating cloth prior to dyeing it. The design elements are created by folding, twisting, stitching, knotting, pleating, wrapping, tying or pinching. The cloth is then secured with binding and placed in the dye pot. The resisted areas form softly edged, spontaneous-looking designs which seem to possess their own vocabulary.

The closest term we have in English is "tie-dyeing." Shibori techniques have been practiced in some form all over the world; the most famous examples are from Japan. Because of the perishable nature of cloth, we cannot determine exactly when or where the first shibori had its origins, but it is quite likely from a very early prehistoric time.

The results of the dyed cloth almost always have an element of surprise because the dye pot, like the potter's kiln, leaves at least some of the process to chance. And each worker is unique in the way she folds, twists, stitches or gathers. Thus the results are different each time, depending not only on the rhythm of the person manipulating the cloth, but also on the kind of cloth and dye, the variables of the dye pot, and the huge variety of threads, clamps, and poles used in the process.

The techniques used by the Japanese and other peoples for several thousand years involved hours of stitching, tying, binding and pole wrapping. Today, we can replicate these methods in a fraction of the time with the help of a sewing machine and all shapes and sizes of plastic, rubberbands, clamps, PVC pipe, etc. The very best fiber artists create a new version of "East meets West" by applying modern technology to an art that goes back to our earliest efforts to adorn the human body.


		Resist-dyed Cloth Shibori is a Japanese word used to describe a myriad of techniques for manipulating cloth prior to dyeing it. The design elements are created by folding, twisting, stitching, knotting, pleating, wrapping, tying or pinching. The cloth is then secured with binding and placed in the dye pot. The resisted areas form softly edged, spontaneous-looking designs which seem to possess their own vocabulary. The closest term we have in English is "tie-dyeing." Shibori techniques have been practiced in some form all over the world; the most famous examples are from Japan. Because of the perishable nature of cloth, we cannot determine exactly when or where the first shibori had its origins, but it is quite likely from a very early prehistoric time. The results of the dyed cloth almost always have an element of surprise because the dye pot, like the potter's kiln, leaves at least some of the process to chance. And each worker is unique in the way she folds, twists, stitches or gathers. Thus the results are different each time, depending not only on the rhythm of the person manipulating the cloth, but also on the kind of cloth and dye, the variables of the dye pot, and the huge variety of threads, clamps, and poles used in the process. The techniques used by the Japanese and other peoples for several thousand years involved hours of stitching, tying, binding and pole wrapping. Today, we can replicate these methods in a fraction of the time with the help of a sewing machine and all shapes and sizes of plastic, rubberbands, clamps, PVC pipe, etc. The very best fiber artists create a new version of "East meets West" by applying modern technology to an art that goes back to our earliest efforts to adorn the human body.

			Clothing and text copyright © Dianne E. Matus Website copyright © 2001 The Composing Stack Inc. Updated Monday, January 01, 2007