Itajime Shibori Dyeing

How to create an Indigo dye bath and make a flag folded Shibori pattern

Chances are you have heard of Shibori fabric dyeing, right? I’m sure you have seen the beautiful, traditional deep blue Indigo dyed patterns.

Well, what is it EXACTLY?

Shibori dyeing is a traditional Japanese technique that involves creating intricate patterns on fabric through a series of folding, stitching, scrunching, twisting, binding, and compressing steps before dyeing.

The parts of the fabric that are compressed, resist absorbing the dye and therefore leave undyed (often white) areas, creating a pattern.

Shibori dyeing usually uses dye made from the Indigo plant which produces one of the few natural blue dyes.

What is Itajime?

Itajime shibori dyeing is a specific type of shibori technique that focuses on creating patterns by folding and clamping the fabric between two pieces of wood, plastic, or other flat objects.

These objects act as a resist, preventing the dye from reaching certain parts of the fabric.

You can manipulate the pattern by using different shapes, varying the number of shapes as well as with other binding techniques.

How to create the Itajime flag fold pattern:

This tutorial will show you how to create the above pattern using the ‘Flag Fold’ folding technique. This is a great method for beginners to learn about Shibori.

Supply List

• Natural fiber fabric s.a. cotton or wool
• Indigo Dye Kit
• 5 Gallon bucket with a lid
• Long stick for stirring
• 4 Gallons very warm water
• Plastic container
• Various items to make shapes such as
  wooden circles, squares or triangles (2
  each), rubber bands, clamp

Fold the fabrics

For this particular tutorial, I used my favorite 100% cotton flour sack towels. I find these towels easy to work with and they take dyes beautifully which makes them perfect for beginner dyers.

I folded my towel like a flag, hence the name ‘flag fold’:

To begin, fold your fabric in half, corner-to-corner to form a triangle. Again, fold the corners to make a smaller triangle. Continue folding your fabric, corner-to-corner until you have a small triangle bundle.

Secure your bundle with 4 popcycle sticks, 2 at each small corner,
sandwiching the bundle at top and bottom and securing the ends with rubber bands.

Prepare the fabric and the dye

1. Pre-soak your fabric bundles for 30 to 60 minutes in very warm water. You want the fabric to be thoroughly wet.
2. Take the lid off the bucket and take a look at the dye. If there is a film or a bunch of bubbles on top, carefully remove them with gloves or a stir stick. Note: a little bit of film is fine.
3. With your long stick, very carefully and slowly stir the dye, moving in one direction only. Stop and then, again slowly, stir in the You want to be careful not to introduce any oxygen into the dye.

Dye the fabric

Now the fun part begins! You get to actually dye your fabrics with the Indigo.

1. With gloves on your hands, take a fabric bundle and squeeze out the water while you are dipping it into the dyebath.
2. Work the bundle in the dye with your hands, opening the folds, massaging the fabric, turning and dipping it for about 2 to 3 minutes.
3. Take the bundle out of the dye and place it in a plastic container.
4. Let your bundle rest to oxidize for approximately 20 minutes. (You can watch the color change from green to blue as the oxygen hits it!)
5. Repeat dipping and working the bundles 3 – 6 more times. This ensures even coverage and oxidation.

Rinse and wash the bundles

Before removing your clamps and opening the bundles, take them to a sink and rinse out the excess dye.

Now, carefully remove the rubber bands and open the bundles and thoroughly rinse each one to remove any unattached dye particles.

Finally, wash your fabrics in the washing machine with a gentle detergent. Hang to dry.

Itajime Shibori Dyeing