M5 SHIBORI DYE

One of my favorite things to do on the ranch during the summer is to experiment with SHIBORI DYE! I gather up a ton of white tea towels, tablecloths, sweatshirts… you name it! I dyed a few white Carhartt jackets last year and loved how they turned out. It’s best to do outside because it can get pretty messy!

Shibori dyeing is an ancient Japanese tradition. It uses intricate folding patterns to dye fabrics dipped in Indigo dye. There are endless techniques used to produce a variety of patterns. Traditionally the folds were held together with tightly bound threads – I just use rubber bands!

This is my favorite INDIGO DYE MIX! (I’ve tried several!)

SHIBORI FOLDS

There are many traditional folding techniques to try out. The best part of Shibori (or any art!) is that you don’t have to follow the traditional techniques – it’s fun to try out your own designs! They can be as simple or as complex as you want them to be.

SPINNING TECHNIQUE

The spinning technique looks very similar to the western tie-dye. Lay out the fabric you are dying and start pinching and spinning it from the center.

Rubber band the forming spiral in multiple locations. You’ll notice that there is extra, loose fabric surrounding the spiral you’ve created. Use the leftover space to create additional spirals, tying them off with rubber bands as well.

Submerge the entire bundle in the dye, then remove the fabric, cut off the rubber bands, and hang up to dry.

SNAKE TECHNIQUE

This design will create a striped pattern. Fold a piece of fabric lengthwise until it is long and skinny. Next, fold the fabric in half the other direction. Take the rubber bands and tightly band them around the fabric

Dip the entire bundle into the indigo dye. Remove from the dye, cut the rubber bands, and hang up to dry.

TRIANGLE TECHNIQUE

Take your fabric and fold it into a triangle. Continuously fold the triangle in half to make smaller and smaller triangles until it is around 10 to 12 inches in length. Dip and hold each corner of the triangle in the Indigo dye. Once every corner has been soaked, open up the cloth and hang to dry.