This traditional Japanese craft converts simple
pieces of cloth into paradisiacal wreaths of art.
Cloth, before and after it touches a persons body is an
expression of the wearers social status, custom, heritage, and aspirations.
The way the fabric is designed and used holds a special meaning for the wearer
affecting ones aesthetic sensibilities. Man has used different ways of
embellishing textiles in many creative ways. Dyeing the textiles in lively
colors is one of them. In dyeing too, several novel ideas are used to apply the
dyes in a resourceful manner. Dyeing has evolved through many cultures all
around the world, and is practiced as a special art in countries like China, Japan, Latin America, and Africa. Shibori is a way of dyeing textiles in Japan since the 8th century. Numerous techniques are followed for resist
processes.
Shibori is a cloth dyeing technique which includes
stitching, binding, twisting, clamping and folding. Basic technique of shibori
is to draw a picture on a cloth, and tie a knot tightly with a thread. The
cloth is then dyed with one or many colors. Based on the colors used and
patterns required to be created, the cloth is dyed multiple times. When the
thread is unwrapped, they produce appealing designs.
This is a very labor intensive method. The special feature
of shibori is a soft or blurry edged pattern which differentiates it from sharp
edged finishing obtained through wax, stencil, or paste.
Kanoko Shibori
Nui Shibori
Techniques of Shibori:
- Kanoko Shibori: This is otherwise called as tie-dye. Some part of the
cloth is tied with thread or rubber bands to get the desired pattern.
- Muira Shibori: This process uses a hooked needle and plucking
sections of the cloth. The thread is not knotted, and is just looped. This
gives water like design.
- Nui Shibori: A simple running stitch is used, and then the cloth is
pulled together to become tight. It is then knotted and dyed. This is a
time consuming process.
- Kumo Shibori: This is a pleated and bound technique where the cloth
is bound very closely to give a spider like design.
- Arashi Shibori: In this technique, the cloth is wrapped around a pole
tightly with a thread. The cloth is then scrunched and dyed resulting in a
design on a diagonal.
