Shibori
絞り染め / 8th century– / Technique / Textile Traditions
A technique in which cloth is stitched, bound or clamped between boards before dyeing, so that only the parts under pressure stay white. The result is left to the strength of the craftsman's hands and the movement of the cloth, and no two pieces come out alike even from the same pattern.
The bled white left by binding / Regular grain from stitch resist / Geometric ground patterns from board clamping / A texture that keeps the relief of the cloth
Dictionary entry
- Best used for
- Making a surface that differs piece by piece from the same pattern · Using a texture that records the pressure of the hand on purpose
- Type
- Choose heavier letterforms that survive the unevenness of handwork.
- Composition
- Mix intended irregularity into a regular repeat.
- Material
- Resist the dye by binding and pressure, and allow the dye to bleed.
- Caution
- Reproducing the pattern in print makes it another thing entirely. The bleed and the unevenness are the record of the technique.
- Further study
- The Arimatsu and Narumi centers and their families of technique / The differences among itajime, nuishime and bōshi shibori / Its combination with indigo dyeing