Shibori is an ancestor to contemporary tie dye which developed in Japan from the 8th century to today. It is a shaped resist because the fabric is shaped into three dimensional bundles by stitching, knotting, pleating, binding, clamping or pole wrapping. The resulting pressure on the fabric forms patterns in an hour long dye bath or in repeated dipping in indigo vats. Fabrics can be overdyed many times for depth of color and richness of pattern.

Japan developed a wide range of techniques, some of which are found in other cultures including Asia, India, West Africa and the Americas. My relationship with shibori is a dialog, not a dictatorship, predictability comes with experience, but I'm always rewarded with subtle surprises.