Theclothing industry has a very colourful history, if you would try to trace thehistory of the clothing industry it would be somehow long and even now that theworld is so advance clothing is still viewed of the greatest necessity in ourdaily life. The textile industry in India is so enriched that it has multiplefacets. There are many textile surface embellishment techniques prevalent in India, of which Tie and dye has become one of the most popular in recent times. Thecraftsmen and rural artists are extremely talented and use a mixture ofconventional and modern techniques. Today's business world demands creativityto succeed, no matter what kind of business one is into. This is because eachbusiness needs to be unique. Generally handicraft business is a good business,especially it can be distinct and distinguishable from others. Tie and Dye hasnow crossed the borders of its parent states Rajasthan and Gujarat and has cometo be accepted as one of the contemporary garment embellishment techniques. Tieand Dye techniques give you an opportunity to easily brighten up your wardrobeand experiment with colours and fabrics on your own. One needs to have thepassion for art and crafts to be able to turn tie and dye into one's ownbusiness. It is true that with creativity and experimentation one can makemoney selling beautiful tie and dye material. Creativity is the key in thisbusiness as this will help differ your fabric from the rest. As a starter oneneeds to be competitive by reducing the price tag on the fabric so as to getmore customers. When they find out the quality is good, they will ask for moreproducts and your work will speak for you, so you must try to make tie and dyefabric very beautiful and original as much as possible, you need to be competitivein your prices and quality.
Tieand Dye Techniques: As the namesuggests the techniques of tie and dye involves two stages tying sections of alength of cloth and then dunking it into vats of colour. Tie and dye is aresist method of patterning fabric that is achieved by withholding dye fromcertain areas of the fabric, This leaves the original undyed area as thebackground or vice versa. This method can be used to combine lots of colour bytying and covering certain areas according to the effect desired thereafter thefabric opens out into amazing designs: dots, circles, squares, waves andstripes.
MajorCentres of Tie and Dye in India and Across the World:
Choice
of Dye: The process of tie and dye
in earlier times was done with the use of basic colours extracted from plants.
The shellac was used for reds, turmeric for yellow, Ion shavings and vinegar
for black and pomengrate rinds for green. Many different types of dyes are
available for use in this tie and dye technique. The most preferred ones are the
reactive dyes .Tie and Dye cloth is never too expensive but be warned that the
colours always run so if you have bought silk, it is safer to get it
drycleaned.
Types of materials to Dye: Tie and dye is good to be done on anything that is made of 100% cotton blends on the market. It is important to prewash and dry the items, soften, pre- shrunk and prepare the item to absorb the dye to the dye best of their ability. It is good to practise with lots of old tops because it is important to know how different types of fabric react and produce different patterned hues when different concentrations of dye are applied on them.
Tie
and Dye patterns:
1) Small circles - For small circles, pinch about 2-3 inches of the fabric. Insert
marble piece and tie it with rubber band or string to hold secure .You can make
many small circles in a particular pattern over the fabric.
2)
Stripes - Lay down the fabric on
the floor. With loose hands, roll the fabric into long tube, tightly wrap
strings or rubber bands around the fabric.
3)
Pleats - Lay down the fabric and
using both the hands pinch the fabric with thumb and forefinger placed at an
inch or two apart. Continue making pleats till the end of the fabric, tie
fabric with rubber band.
4)
Spiral - Lay down the fabric over
the flat surface, spiral patterns are created by gathering a small section,
usually with a cloth pin or a kitchen fork, in the middle of the fabric and
slowly rotating the piece creating pleats of the fabric arranged in swirls
around a centre point. It is gathered into a flat round bundle and the
different wedges of the circular bundle are dyed in different colours to
create a greater spiral effect.
5)
V shape - The 'V' shape is
achieved by folding a top half vertically, and then a line is drawn diagonally
from the shoulder area down to the centre fold of the top. The fabric is then
accordingly folded along the line and bound into one or more areas to which the
dye is applied.
6)
Guitar - The guitar is more
complex style of tie and dye than the spiral. By folding the top diagonally in
half from shoulder to waist and baste stitching half of a guitar pattern an
easy template is ready to dye the guitar pattern, for this style one should use
fewer colours to find the clear picture of guitar on your tie and dyed
fabric.
7) Marble - Take the fabric and crumple it into a bundle. Randomly tie rubber bands around the t-shirt in a crisscross pattern. Dip the crumpled fabric in the dye bath.
8)
Random - This category can hold
several different patterns, the majority of which have nothing to do with each
other; they can be combinations or they can be as chaotic as bundling the item
to be dyed.
The
above mentioned tie and dye techniques are instructions will surely help you
design a tie and dye fabric. Start with simple tie and dye patterns and then
slowly try the hard ones. You can make your fabric as colourful as you want by
using 3 or more colours. For beginners it is advisable to use only primary
colours. Tie and dye end result can only be predicted after a lot of experience
and then you will notice that every tie 'n' dye product that you make comes out
to be unique.
The
author is associated with Satyam Fashion Institute, Noida
Image Courtesy: darth-jackson2.deviantart.com
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