East Meets West: The Traditional Craft Behind 3×1’s Cool Spring Separates Inline
Photo: Courtesy of 3x11/9“Probably the most important step in shibori technique: folding the fabric and clamping it down so that the indigo will reach the intended sections of fabric. The method of folding will dictate how much indigo reaches the center of your material, as well as how saturated it will become and what the pattern will ultimately look like.”
Photo: Courtesy of 3x12/9“The folded fabric, ready for dye, with rubber spacers pressed firmly in between layers to minimize indigo saturation. The spacers, combined with the constant pressure maintained by the clamps, are critical to achieving the intended pattern design.”
Photo: Courtesy of 3x13/9“The presoak. By presoaking the fabric, the indigo will ‘travel’ in a more consistent—in this case, desired—manner throughout the fabric.”
Photo: Courtesy of 3x14/9“The indigo bath. The indigo used for shibori is a plant-based, natural indigo. Although most indigo used today is synthetic, the traditions of shibori dyeing maintain the time-honored technique and therefore the use of pure indigo.”
Photo: Courtesy of 3x15/9“Removal from the indigo bath after a proper soak. Soak times vary depending on the intended level of saturation. Ours was relatively brief, as we wanted to keep our blankets ‘bright and white’ for Spring.”
Photo: Courtesy of 3x16/9“Fixing the indigo. After removing the shibori press from the indigo bath, the blanket and clamps go through a process of ‘fixing’ and rinsing, where the indigo is removed and the color is ‘fixed’ semipermanently. Note: Indigo is anything but permanent, as it will continue to dissolve/diminish with every wash and wear—albeit ever so slightly.”
Photo: Courtesy of 3x17/9“Clamp removal. This is the stage where you start to see the beauty of the shibori reveal itself. The indigo is going through a natural oxidation process when it’s removed from the clamps and slowly unraveled. Note the different colors of indigo (yellow, green, blue, et cetera)—these are all stages of the oxidation which will ultimately reach a point where the color is consistent from edge to edge.”
Photo: Courtesy of 3x18/9“The unveiling. This is our shibori blanket in all its beauty. With only 60 blankets made, these limited-edition styles will be offered in three select styles at 3x1 for Spring 2016.”
Photo: Courtesy of 3x19/9“A final bath to clean the finished blankets before sending to 3x1 in NYC.”
