Itajime Shibori Tights Go Tangerine Tango!

tutorial

May 15, 2012

Itajime Shibori Tights Go Tangerine Tango!

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Loving all the wild, patterned tights this fashion season? Well, now you can make your own in any color combination you fancy using the traditional Japanese dye process of Itajime Shibori. With this technique, designs are created by folding and clamping fabric which acts as a resist to keep the dye from certain areas of the fabric. In this case, the tights were folded accordion style and sandwiched/clamped between two 3" plexiglass discs to make happy circle patterns all down the legs in that most trendy shade of Tangerine Tango. You know, Pantone's color of the year which we've recreated in our ColoRit Color Guide using equal parts Tangerine & Sunshine Orange dyes.

Kinda cool, right? ...and it's really so easy too! This technique is so versatile because you can switch up how you fold and the type of shapes you use. Try it with a triangular flag fold and clamped triangles and you have whole different look. Change the spacing and you can make just two cutey circles to highlight your cutey kneecaps. Or overdye in another color for a two-tone effect. Once you start, the possibilities will be endless. When you're done making an array of patterned tights, then you start making patterned scarves and sundresses and tank tops and pretty much anything you can dream up.

OK, you get the idea, it's gonna get addictive. So let's get started, shall we?

Here's the tutorial:

SUPPLIES:

Rit Liquid Dyes: Tangerine & Sunshine Orange
Nylon Tights
2 Plexiglass discs (around 2½-3" dia)
Clamp
Large Plastic Container
Large Mixing Spoon
Measuring Cup & Spoons
Rubber Gloves
Plastic Table Cover

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Starting with pre-washed nylon tights, fold in half lengthwise so one leg lays on top of the other. Then fold the legs in a accordion fashion all the way to the hip. The folds should be bit bigger than your discs. I used 3" discs and folded every 3½". Try to make your folds as even as possible because this is what's creating the spacing of the circle pattern.

2. Position one plexiglass disc on either side of the folded tights. Find a clamp that will hold very tight and can fit the thickness of the folded tight legs sandwiched between the two discs. Clamp this tightly.

Note: You can use wood shapes as resist too. Just make sure that they're not too thin as I've found that thin wood can warp in a hot dye bath and distort your pattern.

3. Grab the rubber gloves and get dyeing! Shake, measure and mix 2 Tbls Tangerine dye + 2 Tbls Sunshine Orange dye in 1 gallon of very hot, 140˚ water. These are nylon tights, make sure not to use boiling water as it can damage the nylon fiber.

4. Stir well. Immerse the clamped tights into the dye bath. Using your mixing spoon try to open the folds a bit to allow the dye to reach the areas inside the folds. You want the dye to flow right up to but not under the circled area to create a distinct pattern. Move the whole clamped tights unit in the dye bath to make sure there is even coverage of the dye. The tights should be in the dye bath for about 10 minutes.

Note: Depending on the size of the clamp you may need a larger dye bath to make sure the tights and clamp all immerse properly.