Shibori Dyeing

 Shibori dye is the latest tie-dye trend. The gorgeous deep blue lines that fade out in various directions, as if in a watercolor effect. It's quite pricey if you want cute bedding, pillows, blankets, kitchen textiles, children's clothing, chic adult clothing, etc. The sky's the limit. I'm thoroughly obsessed!  

So what is it you ask? It's the Japanese method of dying fabric by twisting, bunching, and folding it in various ways.  The last two years I Shibori dyed many different kinds of fabrics. Basically any white material I found thrifted or new that was inexpensive I grabbed and played with it! I had so much fun! Unfortunately I mostly only have finished product photos, but this is what I did.


Let's begin! I ordered a Shibori dye kit from Amazon, by Jacquard, which I used both years of dying. It's a fantastic kit which includes rubber bands, square wood planks (which make the most beautiful square dye print as seen on my table cloth),gloves (VERY necessary or you'll look like a Smurf for days!), & stir sticks. Rit Dye can also be used.

Combine the dye packets outdoors following the package directions. I used a big 5 gallon bucket with lid to store my indigo vat which I kept in my garage until the date of expiration. Each day the indigo vat got darker which produced a deeper blue hue. This photo on the right is my table cloth after rinsing the dye from the fabric. Once washed it looks like the below photo on the table. Follow the directions on the package & look up YouTube videos. It's helpful! I suggest lots of trash bags or canvas to work over as the dye will stain decks or cement. Some do it in their homes, but the smell of the dye is strong and IT STAINS! Once mixed you are ready to roll.

Gather your materials.  I used flour sack dish towels (same as linked below), burp cloths, onesies, table cloth T-shirts. You can use any color of dye too! Someday I want to try pink or burnt orange dye.  I did make burp clothes with turmeric dye following this technique and they did not hold their dye well. They are still a nice pale yellow, but not deep like I'd hoped for.  

On my Pinterest board I have many techniques for dying. Check them out! This is the perfect project for summertime as well as autumn. I enjoyed every moment of it! Happy dyeing!!!