Tie and dye

Tie and dye is one of the techniques of creating a pattern or design on the fabric using one of the resist dying methods where the fabric is tied in the appropriate manner required for the design and then dyed to create patterns. The portion of the fabric which is tied does not take the dye and the rest of the fabric gets colored thus forming the design. 

This technique is seen in most of the parts of the world. In India it is also called as 'Bandhani'. Lots of variations are done in tie and dye techniques to create variety of designs. 

Tie and dye designs and techniques

The most popular design in tie and dye is circles like design or pattern. A very tiny portion of the cloth is picked and tied tightly. So as said before the portion of the fabric which is tied does not take the dye and the rest of the fabric gets dyed forming white circles kind of pattern. 

This technique can be used creatively to form different unique patterns. Apart from the circle shaped design lots of other patterns are produced by various methods like the following

• Folding the fabric like a square and tying only lengthwise or lengthwise and widthwise tightly

• Folding the fabric like a square and machine stitching on it in different patterns like straight lines, diagonal lines etc. In this case wherever the stitch is done the dye does not penetrate. 

• Crushed effect can be obtained by simply crushing the fabric; tying it randomly and dyeing it. 

• Different sort of designs can be produced by tying the fabric with some objects inside it for eg rice and then dyeing it. 

• Four corners of the fabric can be knotted and dyed. 

• The fabric can be folded like a square or rectangle and the four corners of the square or rectangle can be tied and dyed. 

Images of some tie and dye samples

Square fold tie and dye

Tie and dye with object inside(rice)

Tie and dye with object inside(rice)

Crushed effect

Wrinkled effect

These are few tie and dye methods and you can however be very creative and make your own interesting designs. Synthetic dyes are mostly used in these days. 

Applications

Tie and dye is widely used in almost all types of apparels, home furnishings and accessories. Products where tie and dye technique is applied includes shirts, kurtis, salwars, sarees, anarkalis, dupattas, stoles, shawls, women and men's tops, skirts, scarfs, jackets, bags, shorts, leotarts, women's dresses, wall hangings, swim wear etc. 

Again creativity plays a very important role here. You can be very innovative in applying the technique in different products. There is no hard and fast rule that you have to apply a particular technique in only a particular product. As long as the design is pleasing and the product is usable it is perfect.

Batik

Batik is also one of the resist dyeing methods and here melted wax is applied on the cloth according to the design and then it is dyed. The dye will not penetrate the portion of the fabric where the wax is applied and the rest of the fabric will get dyed and thus forming the design.After the dyeing process is completed the wax is removed from the fabric by immersing the fabric in boiling water where the wax melts and gets removed. 

In the above image the white or off-white portion is where the wax was applied before dyeing. This is not my best work. This is just to show you what is batik. You can see some crackled effect in the design which is the characteristics of batik.  

                     
How to do Batik?

Things needed for Batik

• Melted wax 

• Fabric : Cotton, silk. 

• Tijanting needle: This needle looks like a pen and is used to apply wax on the fabric. The needle has a wooden handle and one or more spouts. A brush can also be used to apply the wax. 

Sketch of a tijanting needle

• Wooden frame 
• Dyeing bath

Pre-preparation

Before commencing the work the fabric is washed thoroughly to remove impurities and then boiled in water to preshrink it. 

The technique

1) The fabric is stretched on the wooden frame firmly and the design is traced on it. 

2) The melted wax is poured into the tijanting needle and the wax flows through the spouts. The wax is applied in fine lines over the traced design. If brush is used, the same is dipped in the wax and then the design is drawn. 

3) When the wax dries completely the fabric is dyed immersing it in the dyeing bath. The process is repeated if many shades are required. 

4) After dyeing the fabric is rinsed well and boiled in hot water to remove the wax. 


Applications

Batik technique is applied in various products like women's dresses, caftans, skirts, T- shirts, bags, purses, beddings, pillow covers, wall decorations, table cloths, bedspreads, scarfs, wrap skirts, shirts, lounge wear pants etc. 
                                                

Introducing textiles

I am introducing the next category in my blog which is 'Textiles'. According to wikipedia 'Textiles is a flexible woven material consisting of a network of natural or artificial fibres often referred to as thread or yarn'. Now in my blog i am not going to go deep into the technical details about the manufacturing process of fibres, yarn or fabrics. This category 'Textiles' is all about textile designing and about various fabrics, its types, applications, properties etc. Here is a brief note about textiles and its types. 

The raw material for the textiles is fibres. Fibre is the smallest unit of fabric. Fibre can be broadly classified into two types Natural and Synthetic fibres. Fibres gotten from the natural resources are natural fibres and those that are manufactured by man artificially are called synthetic fibres. 

Natural fibres can again be from

• Plant origin examples are cotton, jute, flax, coir etc
• Animal origin examples are wool, silk etc
• Mineral origin examples asbestos, glass fibres etc

Synthetic fibres are produced by man artificially and examples are polyester, nylon, lycra, aramid, acrylic etc. 

These fibres are spun into yarns and yarns are made into fabrics. Depending on the methods used to make the yarns or fibres into fabrics, the fabrics can be classified as 

• Wovens: The sets of yarns are interlaced at right angles with each other by hand or by machine.  The lengthwise yarns are called warps and the width wise yarns are called wefts. Examples brocades, banarasi, georgette, chiffon, satin, handloom fabrics etc. 
• Knits: The yarns are interlooped with each other. The knitted fabrics have more elasticity. Examples sweaters, socks, lingeries etc. 
• Nonwovens : The fibres or yarns are bonded together by using chemicals or mechanical methods, by using heat or solvent. Example felt. Braiding is also one of the method.  

Once the fabric is formed it is called as grey fabric when a suitable finish has to be given to it to make it a finished fabric. The fabric is then dyed to the required color. Dyeing can be done at fibre stage, yarn stage or the fabric stage depending on the requirements. Patterns or designs on the fabric can also be done using dyeing process. Tie and dye, batik are examples.  If printing is required it is done using different methods like block printing, stencil printing, screen printing ,roller printing etc. After the suitable finish is given the fabric is now ready to be made into finished products like garments, home furnishings, accessories etc. 

Zardosi and Zari work

Zardosi and Zari work are popular embroidery works used in almost all kinds of clothing especially in Indian and Indo Western wear, home furnishings and accessories. This embroidery is the earliest and has ancient origin. During mughal times kings wore clothes embroidered with zari and zardosi work. This embroidery work has a very rich look and is expensive. Zardosi and Zari are shiny circular metallic threads which look like wires and are available in gold, silver and in other colors too. They are available in various widths. 

The images below will clearly shows what is zari and zardosi work

Zari embroidered motif done using tiny chain stitches

The fabric is first stretched and fixed uniformly on a big wooden frame. The design or the motif is traced on it and then embroidery is done. This embroidery uses a hook to do the stitch.The stitches used are chain stitch, satin stitch, couching, running and stem stitch. The embroidery is usually combined with other types of embroidery work like sequins work, bead work, resham work, kora work, gotta work, stone work, applique work etc.

Zardosi embroidery is done along with stone work

Zari work has a flat look whereas zardosi has a thick three dimensional look. Zardosi work is more heavier compared to zari work and is more expensive too. Though lots of other colors are used gold and silver are the most popular colors. Zari embroidery can be done on any fabric ranging from light weight to heavy weight. Heavy zardosi can be done on medium to heavy weight fabrics. Light weight fabrics would not be able to take the weight of zardosi work if the work is done heavily. 

zardosi work is done combined with sequins and bead work. 

As you can see in the above images where zardosi work is done, the motif or the design is outlined with zari embroidery where chain stitch is used and thus giving a well defined outline.

Applications

This embroidery is widely used in kurtis, salwars, sarees, lehengas, sherwanis, anarkalis, dupattas, lehenga sarees, wall hangings, cushion cases, pillow cases, mojris etc. 

Patch Work

Patch work is a very interesting technique where patches or pieces of fabrics are stitched together to make a design. Patch work can be a simple combination of squares or may be a complex arrangements of different shapes. The procedure involves drafting a pattern, collecting materials, cutting and joining the blocks to create pieced fabrics. Interesting effects can be obtained by using different colored and textured fabrics. Using creativity lots of decorative designs can be made and used in wide varieties of different products. Banjara embroidery which is practiced by banjaras who are tribal people use lot of patch work in their products. 

Patch work sample

Materials Used

• Fabrics for patches
• Cardboard for the templates
• Thread and needles
• Scissor for cutting

Instructions on how to do Patchwork

1) The first step is to make a template of each piece in your patch work design.

2) Place it on the fabric and trace the design.

3) Before cutting leave some seam allowance on the fabric.

Design is drawn with seam allowance on three different fabrics as the design includes three fabrics

4) Cut each piece one at a time.

Cut pieces of fabrics

5) Join patch pieces by hand sewing. 

6) Do not stretch seam when you sew two bias edges together.

7) Finish the edges.

Image of the final design

Products where patch work is used

Patch work is used in wide variety of products like purses, kurtis, table cloths, bed covers, pillows, pillow covers, women's tops, wallets, sarees, children clothes, cushion covers, handicraft products, lamp shades, and wide variety of other products. 

Quilting Techniques

Quilting is a technique which involves sewing more layers of materials together to make a thick layer. Different beautiful patterns are used to sew them together giving decorative effects. It is also combined with other works such as patch work, applique work etc. Quilting is used to make wide varieties of products such as pillows, pillow covers, bed covers, wall hangings, table mats, clothing, cushion covers, etc. 

Quilted sample

Materials Required

• Fabric for the quilt top and for backing and edging for finishing
• If necessary underlining material. 

Instructions on how to do Quilting

1) Once your quilt top is completed the next step is choosing a quilting design that will enhance the quilt top. It is important that the design is compatible. 

2) Mark the design on the quilt top using a tailor's chalk. 

3) Then ensemble the materials you need to put the quilt together. 

4) Lay the backing on the floor, face down straight and with the corners square. Place the raised part and marked quilt top over the batting. Smooth it out and square the corners. 

5) Pin all the three layers together with running stitch, stitch in length wise and cross wise of the quilt. 

6) Then start quilting with machine or use running stitch if you are doing it by hand.

7) Finish the edges of the quilt with borders or by binding a fabric around the edges. Some fancy laces can also be used to finish the edges. Ruffles also give a different decorative effect to the edges. 

Braiding

Braiding is a special technique used for making rugs. The technique is similar to how you plait your hair. It is easy to do and the material requirement is also minimum. Different color fabrics, scissors, heavy thread, tailors chalk and needles are all that which is required for braiding. 

Image of a braided sample

Technique of doing Braiding

The amount of fabric needed depends on the size of the rug. 

1) Cut the fabric into three strips 2 to 4 inches wide depending on the desired thickness of the rug. Cut the fabric in straight grain to minimize stretching. 

2) Join the strips together and make a knot. Before knotting fold the strips into half lengthwise so that the raw edges meet at the centre. Then again fold the strip into half and role the strip. Finish it with invisible hem. 

Image showing how to fold the fabric strips

3) Braid by bringing the left strip over the middle strip. Then bring the right strip over the middle strip like how you plait hair. 

Image showing how to braid

4) This is repeated till the whole length. 

5)Shape the braided strip into rugs and lace them together. 


Rugs can be in circular form or in squares. Lacing is done using a strong thread and a carpet needle.