Fabric Decoration, Tie-Dye

Q: what is Tie-dye?

A:
Often referred to as plangi, tie-dyeing is a method of decorating cloth by isolating areas so that they resist the dye. Instead of coating sections of the fabric with a “resist” substance, such as wax, in order to isolate them, areas are bound with thread so that when the fabric is immersed in the dyebath the tightness of the yarn acts as a barrier to the dye and prevents it from penetrating to the tied areas. Other methods of tie-dyeing include folding, sewing or binding small objects such as seeds, pebbles or dried peas into the cloth.

Tie-dyeing is practiced in many countries of the world, although the best examples can be found in India, Africa and Japan. The reason why the art of dyeing, and especially tie-dyeing, originated in countries with hot climates is because those are the areas where the best dye-plants can be found. For example, in Africa there is an abundance of wild plants which contain the colouring indigo, the traditional hue used in West African tie-tye. Another reason why dyeing is a native craft in hot regions is because the cloth can be easily laid out to dry in the sun once dyeing is complete

How to tie-dye

1. First mix up the turquoise dyebath, making sure that you follow the manufactrer’s instructions. When the dye has completely dissolved, add four level tablespoons of salt and one schet of fixative (dissolved first in boiling water). Wearing rubber gloves, immerse the fabric in the dyebath and keep it submerged for at least an hour. When the cloth has absorbed the dye, remove it from the bath and leave to dry.

2. To produce a lozenge design on the cloth, fold the fabric in half to produce two thinknesses and using a running stitch and buttonhole thread, stitch a series of curves 10.2cm (4in) in length along the folded edge, making sure that you leave the ends of the thread free between each shape.

3. To produce a repeated lozenge design, repeat step 2 several times. Next, pull up the ends of the threads and gather them into a pouch effect.

4. To make the cloth resist the dye, bind the thread tightly around the neck of each pouch. Next, soak the tied fabric in warm water to encourage it to take on an even colour when placed in the dybath in stage 5. gently dab off excess moisture on absorbent kitchen paper.

5. Following the instructions give in step 2, make up a dark-blue dybath. Next, wearing rubber gloves, immerse the tie-dyed fabric in the liquid and agitate it a number of times with a wooden spoon so that it takes on the dye evenly throughout. Leave the tied fabric submerged in the dye for at least an hour so that it absorbs the dye completely.

6. Finally, rinse the dyed cloth in warm water and leave it to dry, When the cloth is dry, untie the ties and unpick the stitches, then iron flat, finally, decorate with drawn-thread work.

Equipment and materials

Fabric
Turquoise cold-water dye
Blue cold-water dye
Fixative
Measuring jug
4 tbsp salt
Absorbent kitchen paper
Rubber gloves
Needle
Buttonhole thread
Dyebath
Wooden