The Shibori Fabric Dyeing Technique

An established New York corporate lawyer, Hayley Lattman (Geftman-Gold) has a focus on data marketing, website security, and privacy. One of attorney Hayley Lattman’s favorite activities is solving puzzles such as crosswords. She is also a crafting enthusiast.

One popular DIY fabric dying technique is shibori, a traditional Japanese technique that creates deep hues of indigo arranged in striking patterns. Several basic bundling techniques are used to create the traditional patterns of this craft, including kumo shibori, which involves binding a small object such as a river rock or dried black bean into the fabric.

The fabric wrapped over the object is gathered into a “finger” and bound in place using rubber bands. This basic step actually has a major impact on the ultimate design, depending on the tightness of bind, number of gathered “fingers,” and size of the rubber band.

Once the fabric is bunched and folded, it is dipped into a vat of indigo dye. Brief dips create a green color that turns into light blue over a 20-minute period of air exposure. At this point, you can dunk again and repeat the process as many times as you want to get the preferred shade of indigo.

Finally, rinse the shibori fabric until the water is clear running and unwrap it. The result should be a crisp design with a strong contrast between blue and white areas. The resulting patterns should be circular, like the pattern a rock makes when it hits a windshield.