Shibori in the Home

Referring to shibori as tie dyeing is like calling paint by number art, but it does serve to get the initial impression going. This ancient Japanese textile art uses the techniques of stitching, pleating, folding and manipulating cloth that is then dyed. The resulting fabric exhibits unique patterns and color.


Undersea 64" x 11.5"............. By Constance Rose .............Urban Ikat 35" x 19"


Shibori fabrics are also incorporated into decorative art quilts. Constance Rose uses the techniques of arashi shibori and handwoven shibori in creating fabulously unique fabrics for her quilted wall art.

Constance Rose: My work is about texture - the way the fiber surfaces feel to the touch, as well as the visual orchestration of pattern, color, line, shape and form. As a surface designer, I am highly intrigued with the serendipitous patterns created on fabric by dyeing, printing and discharging. The foundation of my studio quilting is wholecloth or stitched raw-edge appliqued, handprinted, shibori dyed, discharged or digitally printed fabrics. I am fascinated with overall graphic patterns that make a statement or have a bold presence. I am drawn to muted colors and asymmetrical shapes that evoke the organic natural world. My studio quilts are constructed exclusively of my own surface designed fabrics and my art cloth pieces are handwoven by me. I make all the fabric I work with, by either weaving it, or by printing, painting, dyeing, screening or discharging it.

These beautiful samples of muira shibori are 10" wide and sold by the yard from Kasuri Dyeworks . The three dimensionality of the fabric in both bold turquoise and muted black, burgundy combinations create textural interest and can be incorporated into pillows to add accent any room. The kidney pillow has the shibori fabric in the center, framed by a one inch flat flange and a knife edge.

Donghia has commercially available fabrics that include two shibori designs. Eclipse is a jacquard with the look of a Japanese resist dye shibori creating a circle pattern. The Natural Elegance collection includes 11 shades of 54" upholstery silk appropriately named Shibori which has beautiful monochromatic impressions of geometric shapes.