All this year, we've been learning about dyeing with indigo. Last time we tried overdyeing previously-dyed fabric with indigo to see what colors we would produce (see Indigo Overdyeing). The shades of green were inspiring! This time we're using several resist dyeing techniques with indigo dye. This project was photographed on the second day of a four-day dyeing session, and the dye vat had lots of color. Note that this article builds on our previous indigo dye projects, so please see related articles for details (Mixing the Indigo Dye Vat and Basic Indigo Dyeing).
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| Indigo Resist Dyeing - photo for Jacquard Indigo Tie Dye Kit (Dharma Trading Co.) |
Resist dyeing is a traditional way to dye textiles to produce patterns. The best-known methods include Shibori, tie dye, batik, and ikat. Various methods are used to “resist” or prevent dye from reaching the fabric, thus creating the pattern and ground. Common resist materials include wax, mud, and starch paste; and resist methods include binding, twisting, and stitching the cloth. You may have tie dyed a tee shirt as a kid. The tightly bound rubber bands provided the resist.
Equipment and Fabric
Equipment for this project includes an indigo dye vat, water for pre-soaking and rinsing, a tray to hold dyed fabric, latex gloves to protect hands, and prepared work areas for dyeing and drying the fabric.
For fabric we're using:
- Cotton dish towels
- Cotton and linen fabric pieces
- Cotton handkerchiefs
All fabric was scoured and some reused fabric was mordanted. The latter is not a requirement, since indigo has a high tannin content. To prepare the fabric, were using these resist materials:
- Rubber bands
- Glue
- Wood and acrylic tiles
- Canning jar lids
- Binder clips
- and more!
Basic Dye Process
We’ll follow these basic steps:
- Presoak the prepared fabric (about 20 minutes).
- Dip fabric in the dye vat (I used one dip for about a minute).
- Squeeze out excess dye, and then set fabric aside to oxidize (about 20 minutes).
- Remove bindings, rinse, and hang to dry.
- In about a week, launder in mild detergent and hang to dry.
These steps are iterative and flexible.
For Safety: Keep the indigo dye vat out of reach of children and animals, and store the dye with the lid sealed. Also, never use utensils that have been used for dyeing to prepare food.
Resist Dyeing: Shibori
Shibori is a Japanese manual resist dyeing technique used to create patterns that spread unevenly across the fabric. The uneven patterns are part of the charm.
Shibori supplies include:
- Wooden and acrylic tiles
- Flat canning lids or ‘flats' (not the screws)
- Rubber bands
- Binder clips
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| Preparing fabric for Shibori |
To prepare the fabric, fold it and clamp it between tiles and flats, like a sandwich. I found it useful to iron the fold lines in place first to ensure even sections. Where the tiles or bindings touch the fabric, the dye does not attach. Follow the basic dye process.
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| Soak prepared fabric in water |
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| Dip fabric in indigo dye and set aside to oxygenate |
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| Remove bindings and set aside to oxygenate |
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| Rinse fabric and hang to dry |
Resist Dyeing: Tie Dye
Tie dye describes several resist dyeing techniques and the resulting dyed products. The tie dye process includes: (1) folding, twisting, pleating, or crumpling the fabric; (2) binding with string or rubber bands; and (3) applying dye or dyes.
Tie dye supplies include:
- Rubber bands of various sizes
- String
- Glass marbles
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| Preparing fabric for tie dyeing |
To prepare the fabric, bind it with rubber bands, string, or a combination. In some fabric pieces, I created one or more pouches of glass marbles in several places. We’ll see the results later. Follow the basic dye process.
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| Soak prepared fabric in water |
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| Dip fabric in indigo dye and set aside to oxygenate |
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| Remove bindings and set aside to oxygenate |
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| Rinse fabric |
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| Hang to dry |
Resist Dyeing: Batik
Batik is an Indonesian technique of wax-resist dyeing that is applied to cloth. Batik is made by drawing dots and lines of the resist or by printing the resist with a copper stamp. The wax resists dyes.
The dyer can color selectively by (1) applying wax; (2) soaking the cloth in one color; (3) removing the wax with boiling water; and then (4) repeating the process for additional patterns and colors (similar to print making).
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| Elmer's Washable glue and a design pattern |
For batik supplies, I am using Elmer’s Washable glue as an alternative to wax. If it turns out that I want to try the traditional wax method, I can invest in the proper equipment.
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| Creating a simple chevron pattern with glue resist |
To prepare the fabric, squeeze the glue onto the fabric to create a pattern. For the dishtowels, I created a simple chevron pattern for one, and a squiggle pattern for the other. For the handkerchief and the cotton and linen fabric pieces, I experimented with shapes. As with anything, it takes some time to develop a technique for working with new materials.
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| Prepared fabric for batik |
I dipped the fabric in the water to presoak, but quickly realized it was softening the glue. I pulled the fabric out immediately. Soaking is not a good idea for glue resist! Otherwise, follow the basic dye process. One exception is that you'll need to remove the glue once the dye has set.
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| After you dye, soak the fabric and scrape off the softened glue |
To do so, soak the fabric in water to soften the glue (at this stage, it is OK). The fabric was quite stiff from the glue that spread from the design to its surroundings during the quick pre-soak. Scrape off the softened glue with a plastic spoon or your fingernail. Then rinse and hang to dry as you usually would.
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| Rinse and hang to dry |
Rinsing, Washing, and Hanging to Dry.
In about a week, launder the fabric in cold water, using a mild detergent like Professional Textile Detergent or Synthrapol. Hang to dry.
Reviewing the Results
Let’s look at the outcome from our resist dyeing experiments with indigo dye.
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| Left to right: Shibori, tie dye, and batik (resist dyeing) |
Shibori Results
You can create such interesting patterns with just folding and binding fabric for Shibori dyeing. Following are the results and some observations.
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| Shibori creations |
Not much color was absorbed by the dish towels. The large tiles reached almost to the folds. Possibly folding the fabric into a larger size would help (or using smaller tiles), so that more fabric extends beyond the tiles to absorb dye. A longer presoak in water may also help, as well as a longer dip in the dye.
I especially liked the round canning lids for variety. Square tiles placed on the diagonal also produced a roundish pattern. The tiny and small tiles were fun to work with.
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| Clockwise from top left: linen and round flats; small handkerchief and small tiles; dishtowel with large square tiles on the diagonal; large handkerchief and medium tiles; and dishtowel with medium tiles. |
Sometimes you just need to try something to see how it works. Now that I’ve seen the results, I can think of more ideas to try!
Tie-Dye Results
I like the variety of patterns produced by binding the fabric with rubber bands and string.
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| Tie dye creations |
I also liked experimenting with binding packets of glass marbles with rubber bands, and seeing the interesting patterns it produced.
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| Top: marble tie dye detail. Middle: cotton and rubber bands, cotton dish towel and marbles, and cotton with bindings. Bottom: cotton and rubber bands, linen with rubber bands, and cotton with bindings. |
The thread and rubber band experiments reminded me of the Ikat examples I saw online, where fabric is tightly twisted and then dyed. I like the spidery patterns that different kinds of bindings produce.
Batik Results
Elmer’s glue was a great way to experiment with batik, without investing in wax melting tools.
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| Batik creations |
In retrospect, I may have used too much glue in my patterns. The glue remained tacky for a long time and may not have dried thoroughly. When I hung up some pieces to dry, the glue ran, creating part of the pattern.
Soaking the fabric before dyeing was a mistake. The glue started to soften and spread. It resulted in some interesting patterns and a partial blocking technique. Remember that imperfection is part of the charm of hand dyeing!
I’m pleased with the results and hope to try more experiments with glue, and eventually with wax.
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| Clockwise from top left: cotton handkerchief with "dots"; linen with "dots"; cotton dishtowels with chevron pattern; cotton fabric with abstract pattern; and cotton dish towel with squiggle pattern. |
That brings us to the end of our adventure of dyeing with indigo. I tried a lot of experiments and love the magic of blue!
Learn More
The Basics
Inspiration
- “Indigo Dye Kit Instruction Manual”, by Jacquard Products
- “Indigo Quick Start Instructions”, by Jacquard Products
- “Indigo: A World of Blue”, documentary by Maiwa Productions
- “Indigo Workshop”, by Michel Garcia. Natural Dye Workshop II, by Studio Galli
More Inspiration
- DIY Shibori Tie Dye Techniques Tutorial (For Beginners), by Sarah Johnson
- Glue Resist with Indigo and Washable Glue, by Katherine Rual. Onyx Art Studios
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