Shibori Dying technique by Ysabel de Maisonneuve:
Equipement:
Rubber boots and glovesHeat resistant basin
Apron
Dyes and salt
.jpg "© Ysabel de Maisonneuve") | |
| Heat the water in the basin and add a handful of salt. The valume of water is equal to ten or fifteen times the cloth that is to be dyed. If the basin is not big enough the results can be unequal intensity of color. Add the dye once the water has boiled. |
.jpg "© Ysabel de Maisonneuve") |
| After wetting the cloth sample dip into the dye bath |
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| Take out and rince the sample once the color has taken |
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| Then iron the damp sample in order to evaluate the color result |
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Rincing
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Untying the dyed cloth
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SHIBORI
Japanese term for creating interesting hand made methods of DYING FABRICS or CLOTHES with a pattern by binding, stitching, folding, twisting or compressing it (using woodblocks) .In certain areas of Japan, families have created their own Shibori pattern which has been used for generations. They dedicate their time to refining and improving these personal patterns.
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| Ysabel de Maisonneuve |
To give you a
backround on Ysabel, she has worked on many in-theatre and on-site productions,
including with Théâtre du
Frêne; Theatre du Soleil, the award winning Tambours sur La Digue directed by
Ariane Mnouchkine; with Peter Brook; Yoshi Oïda; and with
Russell Dumas’ Dance Exchange in Australia. A recipient of the Japan Foundation Fellowship, her textile
works have toured internationally and collections sold in Paris, New York and
Tokyo.
Ysabel began her day with us by outlining the
background to her work, showing us images and techniques she uses on
commissioned work, both fashion and theatre based. She has created work for the fashion house Balenciaga as
well as working with designer Christian Lacrioux on costume designs.
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| Ysabel de Maisonneuve, decoration for Tambours sur la Digue, Théâtre du Soleil |
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| Ysabel de Maisonneuve during her presentation, photo: Valentyna Kryuchkova, INMA |
Workshop
There was a range of
equipment provided for us to use for dying both the wool and cotton fabric.
Ysabel also brought a beautiful selection of books on shibori along with a copy
of her own book, (Teinture
et couleur by Ysabel De Maisonneuve).
It was suggested that we all begin the workshop with trying out the basic tying and dyeing techniques.
We spent the first 30-40 minutes tying our white fabric swatches using string, cords, elastic bands, plastic and rubber tubes and wood blocks. It is necessary to tie the string extremely tight around the fabric. It certainly takes a while to get the knack, which can be a challenge but a great learning experience.
Meanwhile the enamel dye pot
was being prepared. In the pot was hot water, dylon multipurpose dye and a
generous amount of coarse salt. We were all happy to start with a blue dye pot
to start with. Later in the day some red was added to create a purple colour.
The class then took turns
dyeing the first lot of samples, first the fabric pieces were wet through (warm
water used for wool to avoid felting or shrinkage), then they were submerged in
the dye pot.
The samples were kept in the
heated pot for a few minutes each to let the dye soak in and then thoroughly
rinsed in water until all the water ran clear. Once all the participants
unknotted and unwrapped their fabric samples we all chose our favourite piece,
showed it to the group and explained how certain effects were achieved. This
was a great exercise for learning and inspiring eachother.
Following the presentation
we continued the creative exploration by using what we had learned from
experimentation and from each other. Ysabel was a great teacher because she
gave us creative freedom once we all had a basic understanding of the
technique.
Here are some exemples of wool dyeing by Ysabel:
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| Ysabel de Maisonneuve |