Shibori is Japanese tie dying. Areas of fabric are tied off so tightly that when it’s immersed into a vat of dye, no color can seep in. It makes for a magical result, beautiful shapes and color variations happen all on their own.

I loved the way this blouse turned out! It’s part of an ensemble that includes jackets, a coat and blouses. Mix and match, always a good way to go.

Can you see the tiny holes left from stitching the folded fabric? Step one: fold, two: stitch tight, three: drop into a dye bath, four: remove the thread, five: stretch flat [but not too flat, the wrinkles add to the design].

There are such amazing examples of shibori out there, check out a few at the World Shibori Network .

I have a link to a video of an artisan working on this technique, it shows him using a stand with a small needle to tie off tiny little pinches of fabric.

The red silk at the top left is an example of one that’s been dyed and the threads removed. Below it is the same fabric stretched out. The Purple has been stretched and ironed, same with the larger red dots on the right.

See the fantastic variations? So cool!