Bhg
  • Shop
  • News
  • Food
  • DIY
  • Garden
  • Travel
  • Renovating
  • Decorating
  • Property
  • Health
  • TV
  • Podcasts
Bhg
  • Shop
  • News
  • Food
  • DIY
  • Garden
  • Travel
  • Renovating
  • Decorating
  • Property
  • Health
  • TV
  • Podcasts
Subscribe
YOU’LL NEED A WEDGE TO HANG THAT DOOR
Watch 6:32

YOU’LL NEED A WEDGE TO HANG THAT DOOR

{headline}

{headline}

5 of the most-searched DIY projects in 2020 (according to Google)

5 of the most-searched DIY projects in 2020 (according to Google)

How to make air dry clay flowers

How to make air dry clay flowers

10 crafty décor ideas using paint

10 crafty décor ideas using paint

Paper flowers: a quick and easy guide on ideas and designs

Paper flowers: a quick and easy guide on ideas and designs

{headline}

{headline}

How to make an envelope

How to make an envelope

Meet a woodworker

Meet a woodworker

This ultra-chic Kmart hack will add instant style to your home

This ultra-chic Kmart hack will add instant style to your home

{headline}

{headline}

7 ways to use dip-dye and Shibori in your home

7 ways to use dip-dye and Shibori in your home

How to repurpose old ties

How to repurpose old ties

How To Upgrade Your Entertaining Spaces

How To Upgrade Your Entertaining Spaces

How to update your entryway in five simple steps

How to update your entryway in five simple steps

The new $3 Kmart hack that will revolutionise your home

The new $3 Kmart hack that will revolutionise your home

How to make a show-stopping wreath for Christmas

How to make a show-stopping wreath for Christmas

How to make a pom pom

How to make a pom pom

  1. Home
  2. Craft

How to tie-dye fabric

Dyeing for a change? Try the ancient art of shibori with a twist! - by Tara Dennis
  • 28 Jun 2019

A form of tie-dyeing (remember tie-dyed T-shirts?), shibori uses simple techniques of folding, wrapping and binding to create unique patterns on dyed fabric. Although indigo dye is the traditional colour choice, why not try a modern twist and use hot pink instead to make stylish table linen or cushions? But be warned – it’s very addictive!

What is shibori?

  • The word shibori comes from the Japanese verb ‘to wring, squeeze or press’, and is a form of resist dyeing, traditionally using indigo dye on white hemp, cotton or silk.
  • Shibori was originally an art form of the poor. In feudal Japan they weren’t permitted to wear silk, so they dyed plain hemp to make it look better.
  • The earliest known example of shibori cloth dates from the 8th century in Japan.
  • Different methods of preparing fabric – folding, stitching, binding, wrapping around a pole or compressing it between pieces of wood – all produce distinctive patterns.
  • Modern fabric designers have ‘borrowed’ shibori designs and reproduced them digitally for the mass market.

How to tie-dye fabric

Gather your supplies

  • Plain white linen or cotton napkins, pillowcases, cushion covers or fabric
  • Household salt
  • Large plastic dye bath
  • Rubber gloves
  • Rit Dye in Petal Pink (1 pack per 450g dry fabric)
  • Dish-washing liquid
  • Large container
  • Short length of 3-5cm diameter PVC pipe
  • String

STEP 1 Pre-wash chosen fabric items to remove any commercial coating. Allow items to dry.

Wrapping fabric in string to tie-dye
Chris L Jones

Step 2 Roll fabric around a length of PVC pipe and secure in place by wrapping string tightly around the roll. The number and tightness of the wraps will determine the finished pattern.

Mix water and salt for dyeing fabric
Chris L Jones

STEP 3 To prepare the dye bath, dissolve 1 cup of household salt in 2 cups of boiling water. Add salt solution to a dye bath filled with very hot water.

Preparing a dye bath
Chris L Jones

STEP 4 Wearing rubber gloves, dissolve 1 packet of dye in 2 cups of boiling water and add to dye bath. Add a tablespoon of dishwashing liquid.

STEP 5 Add prepared fabrics to the dye bath, making sure everything is fully submerged and there are no air pockets. Don’t leave the items in the dye for too long – you want the dye to colour the fabric but you don’t want to completely saturate it, because some areas of the fabric should remain dye-free to create the contrast pattern. Sometimes, a quick dip is all you need to achieve the desired effect – but this will depend on how many layers of fabric you have, how tightly it is bound and how much colour you want in the finished pattern.

STEP 6 Remove the items to another container of clean water and rinse them in several changes of water while they are still bound or tied. Keep rinsing until the water is clear.

Snip off string from tie-dyed fabric
Chris L Jones

STEP 7 Now for the exciting part! Remove the items and undo the binding to reveal your shibori pattern! Give your finished handiworks an extra rinse in fresh water, if necessary, before hanging out to dry.

Shibori tablecloth

No two pieces of shibori cloth are identical – but that’s the beauty of this elegant, yet oh-so-easy, craft.

Chris L Jones

For more craft projects, pick up a copy of the latest issue of Better Homes and Gardens magazine in selected newsagents and supermarkets or buy online today!

  • Decorating
  • Craft
Tara Dennis
Tara Dennis
On Channel Seven’s Better Homes and Gardens, Tara Dennis shares her interior style and design secrets, showing viewers how to transform their homes for less.

Get your mag delivered!-Save 29% off the cover price!

Subscribe for $4.95 per issue

Subscribe Now
Get your mag delivered!

Get your mag delivered!-Save 29% off the cover price!

Subscribe for $4.95 per issue

Subscribe Now
Get your mag delivered!

Recommended to you

YOU’LL NEED A WEDGE TO HANG THAT DOOR
Watch 6:32

YOU’LL NEED A WEDGE TO HANG THAT DOOR

{headline}

{headline}

5 of the most-searched DIY projects in 2020 (according to Google)

5 of the most-searched DIY projects in 2020 (according to Google)

How to make air dry clay flowers

How to make air dry clay flowers

10 crafty décor ideas using paint

10 crafty décor ideas using paint

Paper flowers: a quick and easy guide on ideas and designs

Paper flowers: a quick and easy guide on ideas and designs

{headline}

{headline}

How to make an envelope

How to make an envelope

Meet a woodworker

Meet a woodworker

This ultra-chic Kmart hack will add instant style to your home

This ultra-chic Kmart hack will add instant style to your home

{headline}

{headline}

7 ways to use dip-dye and Shibori in your home

7 ways to use dip-dye and Shibori in your home

How to repurpose old ties

How to repurpose old ties

How To Upgrade Your Entertaining Spaces

How To Upgrade Your Entertaining Spaces

How to update your entryway in five simple steps

How to update your entryway in five simple steps

The new $3 Kmart hack that will revolutionise your home

The new $3 Kmart hack that will revolutionise your home

How to make a show-stopping wreath for Christmas

How to make a show-stopping wreath for Christmas

How to make a pom pom

How to make a pom pom

Bhg
  • About Us
  • Subscribe Today
  • Contact Us
  • Terms and Conditions
  • Privacy Policy
Bhg Magazine Subscribe
  • About Us
  • Subscribe Today
  • Contact Us
  • Terms and Conditions
  • Privacy Policy

Brands

  • All Recipes
  • BHG Shop
  • Girlfriend
  • Home Beautiful
  • New Idea
  • New Idea Food
  • Practical Parenting

Our Network

  • marie claire
  • Instyle
  • Beauty Crew
  • Who
  • Women's Weekly Food
  • Bounty Parents
  • That’s Life
  • Perth Now
  • The West Australian
  • 7Plus
  • Airtasker
  • 7NEWS
  • SocietyOne
  • Health Engine
  • Starts at 60
© 2021 Are Media PTY LTD
Get more from Better Homes and Gardens

Magazine Subscription Offer

Get your mag delivered!-Save 29% off the cover price!

Shop This Offer
Get your mag delivered!