Product Description

Potential for creating designs in textiles can be seen even in the physical properties of cloth. The simple fact that cloth tightly compressed into wrinkles or folds resists the penetration of dye is an opportunity-an opportunity to let the pliancy of textiles speak in making designs and patterns.
People around the world have recognized this opportunity, producing resist designs in textiles by shaping and then securing cloth in various ways before dyeing. Yet in no other country has the creative potential of this basic principle been understood and applied as it has in Japan. Here, in fact, it has been expanded into a whole family of traditional resist techniques, involving first shaping the cloth by plucking, pinching, twisting, stitching, folding, pleating, and wrapping it, and then securing the shapes thus made by binding, looping, knotting, clamping, and the like. This entire family of techniques is called shibori.
Designs created with shibori processes all share a softness of outline and spontaneity of effect. Spontaneity is shibori's special magic, made possible by exploiting the beauty of the fortuitous things that happen when dye enters shaped cloth.
Usually it is in response to the fact that a craft is being lost that the need for preserving and documenting it arises. The motivation behind this book is no exception, but the authors have gone far beyond simple documentation. Extensive research and experimentation have led to the revival here of shibori techniques that were once well known but have now been largely forgotten in Japan. In addition to more conventional techniques, the work of contemporary fiber artists in Japan and abroad in shibori textile art and wearable art is presented, to suggest the extent of the creative innovation possible.
The 104 color and 298 black-and-white plates include a photographic Gallery of Shibori Examples, based on Japan's largest collection of traditional shibori fabrics. Included also are a detailed guide to basic natural dyes used in Japan, the making and care of an indigo vat, and a list of suppliers in North America, as well as a glossary and bibliography. Now available in paperback, this full documentation of one of the world's most inventive and exciting dyeing techniques continues as a classic in the textile field.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #58800 in Books
• Published on: 1999-12-01
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 304 pages

Review

"This excellent book on all aspects of Japanese tie-dye has been so influential worldwide that 'shibori' has actually become the term for this field."-Jack Lenor Larsen
"This beautiful book is a classic within the field of textile literature. The information it contains-with clearly written text and wonderful illustrations-has been so useful to artists, students and scholars since it was first published in 1983. It is wonderful that it will now be available as a paperback."-Gillian Moss, Curatorial Chair, Curator of Textiles Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum
This is the invaluable book that has launched a thousand contemporary shibori artists. Among all the texts in the field of surface design, this is the priceless jewel in the lotus!"-Jason Pollen, President, Surface Design Association, Chair, Fiber Department, Kansas City Art Institute
"...Masterfully organized and rich in detail, Shibori is of great benefit to the student, fiber artist and researcher alike." -Glen Kaufman, Fiber artist, Professor, University of Georgia
"Marvelous... This is the kind of book that every fibre artist would love to have on his library shelves... To my knowledge there is no other treatise in English which explicates this area of textile art. Shibori fills a gap in the literature of textiles."-Tec Hallman, Professor of Textiles, Ontario College of Art and Design

About the Author
Rice Wada is a Kodansha International author.

Customer Reviews

The "Shibori Bible", THE book most used by artists.
If you have one book on Shibori, this should be the one (reviewers opinion)! Yoshiko Wada covers the scope of Shibori, its history, artists and techniques with expertise and beautiful photos. There are only a handful of books on traditional shibori in English. Here you will find an easy to read, well laid out format. Techniques are covered with clear, detailed instructions and diagrams. This is most helpful for beginners yet allows the advanced to become more proficient and precise. Complimenting the above are excellent color photos; close-ups of patterns (a vast selection), garments, ancient, traditional and contemporary artists and their works. Yoshiko's book takes the reader from the historical through creating a completed piece of art. Fact: This reviewer was introduced to this book in an art class. Five years later, now a shibori artist, I still use Yoshiko's book on an almost daily basis. The wealth of information she provides is invaluable as both guide and reference. Thank you Yoshiko and Amazon for offering this book.

an aesthetic feast; an easy-to-follow, practical handbook
This book must be The Definitive volume on Shibori. It contains a wealth of information on the creation and development of the art, background information on the culture which nourished it, and biographical information on some of the principle artists responsible for its evolution. The illustrations are at least as impressive as the text. The book contains hundreds of photographs, both of completed garments and of swatches created through the use of the various techniques detailed in the book. The instructions for re-creating those patterns are clearly explained and easy to follow. Most remarkably, this book would serve equally well as a reference work or even a "coffee-table" book for those with an interest in textile art or art history, or as a manual for the textile artist. Although it is costly, the book represents an excellent value since it would take a lifetime (literally) to begin to exhaust the creative possiblities presented in it. It is a most worthwhile investment.

The most complete book in print on Shibori art and technique
This book is a thorough and exhaustive study of the art and techniques of shibori, the Japanese style of what is popularly known as tie dye. What this book will show you, however, goes far beyond the simple craft we associate with T shirts. In Japan techniques of stitching, tying, or clamping fabric produce designs of enormous complexity and beauty. The descriptions are detailed and accompanied by photographs and drawings that clearly show both the pattern and the technique used to achieve it. In addition color illustrations show completed pieces, both traditional and modern. Whether you want to try this craft or simply enjoy the art of beautiful textiles, this book is the one to get. It is unfortunate that it has never been published in a less expensive edition, but there is no other book on shibori that is even faintly equivalent.